More than 150 nuclear incidents identified outside regulations in 2018

In 2018, there were 156 incidents in 23 countries where nuclear and other radioactive materials were found outside of regulatory control, according to the updated annual edition of the Global Incidents and Trafficking Database.

The database is produced by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) exclusively for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

The information in the database is generated from publicly available news reports and data.

One of the incidents involved a gram of weapons-grade plutonium disappearing from a university laboratory in Idaho. While the missing gram was not enough to create an improvised nuclear device, its loss highlights a security gap that the CNS calls worrying.

CNS discovered 58 percent of incidents were partially or fully caused by inattention to appropriate procedures or carelessness.

“The high frequency of human failure in incidents since 2013 suggests the need for a stronger security culture in the organizations that handle nuclear and other radioactive materials, sources, and devices,” the report said. “Many incidents could have been prevented if the individuals handling such materials had simply known and followed best practices for safety and security.”

Between January 2013 and December 2018, there were 1,040 incidents recorded in the database.

The annual report is available to the public on NTI’s website.