Nuclear Accidents

6Terrorist Attacks and Nuclear Security

6.1. Introduction

Nuclear risk remained limited during the 20th Century, with about 500 accidents recorded, resulting in 3,000 casualties [FLE 04]. These accidents are of a very variable nature and scale, ranging from catastrophic accidents (Chernobyl) to limited accidents involving only one or two people. They could also take the form of malicious acts, which have sometimes occurred, or terrorism, of which there are currently no examples.

The end of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century were marked by terrorist actions of a magnitude and form never before seen. The scale is evident with the attack on the World Trade Center towers in 2001; the nature of the means is highly diversified, again including chemical weapons (Tokyo, 1995; Syria 2016) and biological pathogens (United States in 2001). A major omission is the large-scale use of radioactive materials or sources. This absence should not obscure the potential for such action [DEC 06]. Nénot [NÉN 06] considers that the use of radiation for terrorist purposes is a plausible hypothesis. The appalling events of September 11, 2001 call for a major international initiative to strengthen the security of nuclear materials and facilities worldwide and to establish rigorous security standards [BUN 02a]. Two factors have made the use of nuclear energy in terrorism credible since the early 1990s. The first is the rise of Islamist fundamentalism, and the second is the lack of ...