In 2024, 147 incidents of illegal or unauthorised activities involving nuclear and other radioactive material were reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Incident & Trafficking Database (ITDB), in line with the historical average. The new data underlines the need for continued vigilance and improvement of regulatory oversight for security of nuclear and other radioactive material.
Out of the 147 incidents, three reported in 2024 were likely related to trafficking or malicious use, and there was insufficient information to determine the intent of 21 other incidents. Furthermore, 123 incidents were not connected to trafficking or malicious use but most likely resulted from unauthorised disposal, unauthorised shipment or the discovery of radioactive material.
In 2024, the number of incidents involving manufactured goods, such as used pipes, contaminated with radioactive material increased. “This indicates the challenge for some countries to prevent the unauthorised disposal of radioactive sources, and at the same time, it confirms the efficiency of the detection infrastructure,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security.
All types of nuclear material – including uranium, plutonium and thorium – as well as naturally occurring and artificially produced radioisotopes, and radioactively contaminated material such as scrap metal are included in the ITDB. The ITDB receives information on incidents involving illegal possession, attempted sale and smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material, as well as unauthorised disposal and the discovery of lost radioactive sources. A total of 4390 incidents have been reported since 1993.
One of the key functions of the ITDB is to encourage information sharing on relevant nuclear security incidents. Last year’s incidents were reported by 32 of the 145 ITDB participating states.
“Incident reports submitted by participating countries to the ITDB over the past 30 years have strengthened global efforts to combat illicit trafficking and other unauthorised activities involving nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control,” Buglova said. “Analysing information in the ITDB provides, among others, insights to the types of material involved, nuclear security threats at regional level, as well as trends.”
In the last decade, about 65% of all thefts reported to the ITDB have occurred during the authorised transport of nuclear and other radioactive material. These materials are typically transported by road, rail, air and waterways for various applications in health, industry and scientific research. “Data from the ITDB highlights the ongoing importance of strengthening transport security measures and overall, the regulatory control for the security of radioactive sources,” Buglova said.
The ITDB fosters global information exchange about incidents that involve nuclear and other radioactive material falling out of regulatory control because they were lost, stolen, improperly disposed or otherwise neglected. The database also includes reports about material returning under regulatory control through various means, for example, through the detection of orphan radioactive sources in metal recycling facilities. The ITDB data is voluntarily reported, and access is only permitted to participating states and relevant international organisations, such as the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
The ITDB is a component of the IAEA information management systems and supports implementation of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan. The ITDB is a resource for information sharing among state authorities and IAEA. In order to protect the confidentiality of information reported by states, IAEA upholds strict procedures for handling and dissemination of sensitive ITDB information. Access to the complete database is limited to a small number of IAEA staff.
