With tens of thousands of radioactive sources in use around the world for medical, commercial, and other beneficial purposes, the potential that such sources would fall into the hands of terrorists or other criminals is a real and persistent concern. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has published a number of guidance documents to help states develop and implement legislation on radiological material security. But while many UN member states have strict laws about safe handling and management of radioactive material, laws on keeping non-nuclear radioactive sources secure has lagged behind.

The Stimson Center’s Radiological Source Security Legal Index and Online Tool (RadSecLexis) measured countries’ efforts to implement IAEA guidance by identifying relevant legal and regulatory measures and evaluating them against selected key elements of the IAEA’s guidance. The web tool will include a publicly available database of those measures as well as a holistic picture of each state’s legislative strengths and gaps in meeting the guidance. 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Radiological Security generously funded this project through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.