Research Reactors Dangerously Insecure?
Charles Johnson
Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 9:41 am PDT • Views: 336
ABC Investigation Finds Gaping Lapses in Security at Nuclear Reactors.
Oct. 12, 2005 — A four-month ABC News investigation found gaping security holes at many of the little-known nuclear research reactors operating on 25 college campuses across the country. Among the findings: unmanned guard booths, a guard who appeared to be asleep, unlocked building doors and, in a number of cases, guided tours that provided easy access to control rooms and reactor pools that hold radioactive fuel.
ABC News found none of the college reactors had metal detectors, and only two appear to have armed guards. Many of the schools permit vehicles in close proximity to the reactor buildings without inspection for explosives.
A spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the nation’s campus research reactors, said that, based on the ABC News findings, the agency has opened an investigation into at least five of the schools.
UPDATE at 10/13/05 10:47:55 am:
NEI Nuclear Notes has another perspective on this story, focusing on the methods ABC is using to report it.
Frank says: