NNSA hosted workshop in Greece on reducing risks radiological terrorism 

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s office of radiological security hosted a workshop in Thessaloniki, Greece, to showcase technologies aimed at reducing terrorism risks, the agency said Friday.

Representatives and regulators from Algeria, Greece and Italy attended the workshop on Sept. 17-18 to listen to and network with experts from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, according to a press release. 

The NNSA said in its release that the goal of the workshop was to introduce alternative technology and convince representatives from each country to transition from radioactive devices to x-ray-based technology in its medical facilities. 

X-ray technology can “treat more units of blood in less time than cesium devices,” and do not pull from radioactive sources that potentially could be used for “malicious purposes,” the release said.

“The adoption of alternative technology is integral to the enhancement of global security,” Christine Bent, NNSA’s assistant deputy administrator for global material security, said. “We value our regional partners’ commitment to reducing radiological risk by attending the workshop and learning more about making the transition to alternative technologies.”