Public Involvement in Radioactive Material Security

An informed public is an important stakeholder in supporting efforts to ensure the safety and security of radioactive materials. The public can be enlisted to report suspicious incidents, and to recognize devices that have been lost, discarded, or are otherwise not where they are supposed to be – leading to safe recovery and return to regulatory control. As an independent regulatory agency that prides itself on openness, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) focuses on open, accountable, and accessible government, as demonstrated by the NRC's long history of, and commitment to, transparency, participation, and collaboration in our regulatory activities. To continue this commitment the NRC invites members of the public to participate in numerous public meetings, the ability to request regulatory action, and actively solicits and responds to public comment on regulatory activities. The NRC also provides many opportunities for the public to learn about radiation science and related issues. This Interactive Content Presentation would demonstrate an NRC product that is aimed at informing a public audience about U.S. Government, specifically the NRC's, efforts to ensure the safety and security of radioactive materials. The presentation would briefly cover 1) the beneficial uses of radioactive materials in industry, medicine and research; 2) efforts to ensure their security through licensing, trustworthiness and reliability, access controls, physical controls, emergency planning, source registration, and secure transport; 3) international efforts, including IAEA's Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Materials and various international transport conventions; and 4) cooperation in orphan source recovery efforts. The presentation will include an embedded video on radioactive source security. Ultimately, the presentation could be used at public meetings or on the NRC agency website and social media channels. (author)