The National Source Tracking System launch will be delayed by about a year,
the NRC said. The start of operations for the NSTS, a national tracking system
for monitoring the location and movement of radioactive sources, was set to
have begun in November. But NRC said in a regulatory issue summary (RIS
2007-23), released October 5, that "emergent security issues" are causing
problems. It now expects the start of operations for the NSTS to begin in fall
2008, at the earliest. Previously, licensees were told they would have to
begin reporting to the NSTS by November 15 for Category 1 sources, and by
November 30 for Category 2 sources. Under the IAEA's Code of Conduct for the
Safety and Security of Radioactive Materials, Category 1 sources are those
contained in radiothermal generators, irradiators and teletherapy devices, and
Category 2 sources are found in industrial radiography devices or
high-dose-rate brachytherapy devices. NRC said it has no firm date yet for
when licensees will be required to start reporting on the manufacture,
transfer, receipt and disposal of sources.