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Call for a higher NBC awareness

Call for a higher NBC awareness . Cross-border control of radiological, biological and chemical active and harmful terrorist devices Dr. Carsten Weerth BSc, Bremen / Germany. Starting Point: End of Cold War. Breakdown of the USSR - political landscapes changed dramatically

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Call for a higher NBC awareness

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  1. Call for a higher NBC awareness Cross-border control of radiological, biological and chemical active and harmful terrorist devices Dr. Carsten Weerth BSc, Bremen / Germany

  2. Starting Point: End of Cold War • Breakdown of the USSR - political landscapes changed dramatically • Terrorists / Separatists are seeking dirty bombs • Definition: dirty bomb normally means a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) • Extended definition: dirty bomb should comprise all nuclear, biological and chemical substances that can be dispersed by explosives Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  3. Short History of Dirty Bombs I • 1985 Salmonella was used by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in The Dalles / USA • 1987 Possible use of X-Fever against British post offices by Ōmu Shinrikyō (so called Aum-Sect) • 1995 Tokyo, Subway-Attack with Sarin by Ōmu Shinrikyō (so called Aum-Sect) • 1996 Russian separatists / terrorists in Chechenya planted a working RDD in a park in Moscow Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  4. Short History of Dirty Bombs II • 1997 Since then more than 1.500 radioactive devices have been stolen, are lost or are abandoned in the US alone – the US federal government can only account for 660 of those • 2001 Many anthrax attacks to official Departments and the White House by a worker of the biodefence lab, five casualties • 2008 In Bangor, Maine / US a RDD was found in a dead mans home with four small containers of chemicals and uranium Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  5. Unsettling Facts • NBC substances are normally colorless, odorless and very dangerous • Some NBC substances are easily available within a country • About 30,000 old radiological sources are stored in Europe alone out of which up to 70 sources per year are missing (IAEA) Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  6. Detection of NBC Devices I • Some NBC substances can be detected easily (nuclear radiation) whereas most are not easily detectable (BC substances) • Radiological sources can easily be detected by help of Geiger Counters (actively counting device) • Border officers can be secured by help of Dosimeters (passively measuring device) Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  7. Detection of NBC Devices II • Possible biological and chemical NBC substances are manifold • What to look for? How detect NBC s.? • Indicators of dangers may be:- Rapid change of pressure, temperature, acidity, etc. • Detection dogs are not suitable Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  8. Cross-border Control I • The cross-border traffic of NBC Substances is controlled by a variety of agencies:- (Border-) Police,- Atomic energy agencies, - Internat. Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, - Secret services and- Customs services Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  9. Cross-border Control II • The cooperation between agencies is bad • Normal customs controls are not regarded as important, yet • Normal customs controls can contribute enormously • US Department of Homeland Security and the federal government are requesting 100% scanning of all containers entering the US Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  10. Conclusions I • National customs services should gear up their radiological detection equipment • Customs officers should be equipped with passive measuring devices (Dosimeters) • Customs officers should be trained sufficiently • WCO should issue a recommendation for NBC smuggling awareness Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  11. Conclusions II • Many authorities are chasing smugglers of nuclear substances; BC substances should also been taking into account • Economic operators should contribute also • Security managers are thinking that secure container seals can help to make world trade more secure; I postulate that smart containers and bulk carriers are necessary Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  12. Smart Containers / Bulk carriers • Black boxes are widely used by airplanes and ships (but also in trucks) to record all readings during a journey in order to make accidents understandable. • For safety and security reasons there should be introduced a smart black box for containers that is able to continuously measure certain values (Temperature, pressure, acidity, radiation). • When a reading is changing rapidly / dramatically an alarm could be raised, because this is an indication of an immediate safety / security danger (such as chemicals leaking, gas evaporating or preparing to explode). Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

  13. Final Remarks • More details are available in the paper, printed in the World Customs Journal • Thank you for your attention! Dr. Carsten Weerth - WCO-Picard-Conference San Jose, Costa Rica

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