Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources,and the associated Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources

The Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources (the Code of Conduct) provides guidance, reflecting international consensus, on how States should safely and securely manage radioactive sources. The drafting of the Code was an exercise in two parts, its initial drafting in 2000, and the extensive revision in 2002-2003. Between the two were, of course, the events of September 2001. While much of the original 2000 Code is still there in the 2003 Code, the revised Code is more substantive, particularly in the areas of security and international trade. In addition, the State level commitment requested by the IAEA General Conference takes the Code beyond the status of a mere recommendation, although it is not legally binding. This paper deals with the scope of the code, provisions of the code, status of the code and import and export guidance. It is concluded that radioactive sources provide many benefits to society, but at the same time, serious accidents have occurred in the past. While their continued use should be encouraged, it must be accompanied by efforts to prevent or minimize such accidents. The Code and the Guidance represent a concerted attempt by IAEA Member States to address the failings which led to those accidents. They also represent an attempt to grapple with the threat of the malicious use of sources in radiological dispersal devices. The priority must be the effective implementation at national level of these standards