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Last update - 10:38 15/07/2008 Study: Dirty bombs are easy to come by in the U.S. By Associated Press Tags: United States  Nearly seven years after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government says it is doing better at securing nuclear and radiological materials. Not good enough, congressional investigators say. A report issued on Monday faulted the Bush administration for taking too long to ensure such materials do not fall into terrorists' hands. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the safeguards are much improved since 2001. Advertisement Radioactive material used for legitimate purposes in medical equipment and food processing could be used to create an explosive device known as a dirty bomb. Experts believe such an attack would be contained to a small area. But it could have a significant psychological impact and serious economic consequences because of clean-up problems. The Government Accountability Office said requirements to ensure that someone has a legitimate reason to buy or carry radioactive materials are more than three years behind schedule. In a probe last year, investigators said they set up a bogus company and obtained a license from the NRC that allowed them to buy enough radioactive material for a small dirty bomb. Officials hope the licensing requirements will prevent this from happening again. A system to track radioactive materials as they are transported across the country has faced multiple delays. The NRC says the system should be in place by the end of the year, but it will not be a real-time tracking system, such as used by some package delivery services. The system will report transfers within one business day, said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. If material goes missing while it is transported, an alarm system will notify officials, he said. On the inspection side, government investigators found that most Customs and Border Protection officers were not told of 2006 radioactive material reporting requirements by the agency's Washington headquarters. In May 2006, the agency changed its policy to require that officers contact authorities if they detect more than incidental amounts of radiation. But this was never communicated to officials in the field. The GAO also found a lack of personal radiation detection equipment for Customs officials at land borders. In 2003, 8,000 out of 18,000 officers and agents had personal radiation detection devices. Only about half of the agency's agents and officers now have the equipment because of budget constraints, agency spokesman Lloyd Easterling said. Getting these radioactive materials secured has been a long-standing goal of Senator Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican. Coleman said he is happy there has been some progress, but it is taking too long and it is not enough. Speaking of the NRC, he said, I'm still not convinced they fully grasp the psychological and economic impact that even a small dirty bomb attack would have on the American public. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hezbollah's pleasure For Israelis, the release of Kuntar is a form of self-inflicted torture. Exchange timeline How the prisoner exchange with Hezbollah will be carried out.   1.   They`re Not Kidding! 08:04  |  Yosemite 16/07/08

Read & React VIDEO: Olmert, Assad dodge unwanted handshake in Paris Responses: 66 Obama camp slams New Yorker cover of him in Muslim garb, wife as terrorist Responses: 220 Ahmadinejad: Direct U.S. talks possible in 'near future' Responses: 122 Cabinet okays Hezbollah prisoner swap, exchange set for Wednesday Responses: 138 Rosner's Domain The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Attacking Iran to get the world's attention? U.S. pressures Israel: No bombing of Iran (WTR) Poll: The more religious the Jewish voter, the more pro-McCain More Headlines 08:13 Four Hezbollah militants, Kuntar moved to border base ahead of swap 04:29 ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, the prisoner swap is a Hezbollah victory 08:16 German mystery man to mediate prisoner exchange 08:11 Mother of Kuntar victim: How can you pardon him? 23:56 Lebanon declares state holiday marking return of prisoners 02:21 Olmert questioned over never-repaid $75,000 loan from Jewish-American businessman 01:24 Holocaust survivors in need of long-term hospital care strapped for funds 05:33 Hamas representatives delay talks on swap for Shalit 04:37 Israeli startup may have a cure for dyslexic typos 02:26 Joint secular-observant Jewish school system approved 03:00 TB's secret, hidden in ancient bones 23:37 Talansky: Olmert's lawyers won't break me in cross-questioning 06:08 People who drive on the beach could face 6-month jail sentence Previous Editions Select Day 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul

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