Monitoring Radioactive Materials at the Borders
The border monitoring of radioactive materials began in 1995 when the number of radioactive sources arriving in Finland rose to a level of concern as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The typical source finding was an industrial source among scrap metal because all available metal materials were suitable for resale at the time. At the same time spread a concern for the possibility that nuclear weapons might end up in the use of terrorist networks. Finland quickly equipped its east border with radiation monitoring devices, which enabled detecting radioactive sources in both the vehicle and the passenger streams crossing the border. A proof of the need for monitoring is that several tens of sources were found annually. Finland was among the best at the border control of radioactive materials.
In the past few years, the number of findings has decreased as a result of the situation stabilising in Russia and better border control. Simultaneously, the monitoring system has become obsolete and some of the equipment has been withdrawn from use. On the other hand, the threat of terrorism has increased. The UN Security Council resolution 1540 obliges all Member States, including Finland, to ensure that the border monitoring of radioactive materials is efficient. New challenges must be faced, such as the increase in transit traffic and Helsinki-Vantaa airport becoming a flight hub between Europe and Asia. In addition, there have been cases where a Finnish company has received radioactive orphan sources from other EU countries.
STUK and Finnish Customs equip border stations with the newest technology
STUK was granted 10 million euros from the state budget for renewing and updating the border control devices for radioactive materials. STUK and Finnish Customs set up the RADAR (Radioactive Material Monitoring) project which aims to equip border stations with the newest technology. Simultaneously, the operative guidelines and radiation monitoring training will be updated. The project ends in 2014.
The objective of the RADAR project is to make the best possible use of the funding in a situation where the threat changes. It is not possible to monitor all the border stations extensively. Hence, Customs are provided with mobile monitoring capacity, which is a variable component in the monitoring system. Furthermore, STUK’s experience in radiation monitoring networks, real time data transmission from the field and systematic control of measurement information can be utilised. These make possible efficient operation at the borders.
