NUCLEAR MATERIALS AUDITING AS A PROFESSION

I am pleased to have an opportunity to present to you some thoughts on the professional opportunities in the auditing of nuclear materials. I believe that a discussion of this subject with you, the members of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, is particularly timely in view of a number of recent and forthcoming events. To begin with, let me say that when I speak of nuclear material auditing, I am speaking not only of an examination of the records of account, but also of the verification of the inventory of nuclear materials in the many forms and varying degrees of enrichment and heterogeneity that they may be found; I include examination of the analyses, the analytical techniques, and the measuring techniques used to generate the records of account. A meaningful audit may well include an examination of the process or processes involved in an operation to provide insight as to the reasonableness of material losses that have occurred; or an examination of the physics data on burnup and fissile isotope production in a reactor may be needed to reconcile predictions of fissile isotope content with actual recoveries obtained in a chemical re- processing plant. It is clear that nuclear materials auditing requires the application of principles of chemistry, chemical engineering, nuclear physics, accounting and statistics, and this dictates that the individuals performing these audits must have a high degree of technical competence as well as knowledge of accounting principles. There are no organizations in the United States today which are recognized or accredited as being competent nuclear materials auditors. The needs of the nuclear industry for an auditing service and the attendant opportunities for qualified individuals would be greatly enhanced by the establishment of accredited nuclear materials auditing groups. Here lies a distinct and pressing challenge to the Institute to foster the estab- lishment of a program of accreditation or certification of individual nuclear materials auditors which is sanctioned by the AEC and recognized by the nuclear industry. Such people can provide a valuable service to the fuel processors, the utilities with nuclear power stations, and in the safeguards program. The Institute has made a beginning in its present program of certifying Nuclear Materials Managers. Now it must expand this program to meet the needs of our industry. Never has this Institute had so great an opportunity to be of service to its members and the nuclear industry.