US announces removal of last caesium-137 blood irradiator from Lebanon
The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced the removal of the last caesium-137 blood irradiator from Lebanon. It marked an important milestone in their mission to "enhance US security by eliminating high-risk radioactive material across the world", according to a press announcement published on 29 May.
Caesium irradiators, used in medical applications such as blood treatment and cancer research, contain highly radioactive sources. If stolen from a less secure facility, the caesium inside them could be used to create a radiological dispersal device, commonly referred to as a "dirty bomb."
"As regional pressures and threats intensified, clearing Lebanon of radioactive material became a vital step in denying adversaries its use in a dangerous conflict," said Matthew Napoli, deputy administrator for NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. "Removing this material in Lebanon ensured it could not be used to threaten the American people or our partners, and it reflects NNSA’s unwavering commitment to defend our nation’s borders and keep our communities safe and secure."
"Through collaboration with the American University of Beirut Medical Center, an NNSA team from Los Alamos National Laboratory successfully removed the final irradiator from the facility, permanently eliminating the radiological risk," the announcement added.
"Thanks to the partnership with NNSA and the direct supervision of the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, we were able to remove the cesium irradiator from our community, replacing it with safer X-ray technologies and eliminating the danger it posed to our country," said Farouk Merhebi, director of the safety and sustainability unit at the American University of Beirut.
The Lebanon cleanout was also made possible through a partnership with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, who provided secure transportation of the irradiator out of the country.
Since 2019, NNSA has worked with four facilities in Lebanon, helping sites to remove and replace their caesium-137 irradiators with safer X-ray technologies that do not rely on radioactive sources.
