Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36647742›Full record

ReviewPrehospital and disaster medicine2023

50 Years of Terrorism against the Nuclear Industry: A Review of 91 Incidents in the Global Terrorism Database.

Harald De Cauwer, Dennis G Barten, Derrick Tin, Luc J Mortelmans, Gregory R Ciottone, Francis Somville

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Prehospital and disaster medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Harald De CauwerDepartment of Neurology, Sint-Dimpna Regional Hospital, Geel, Belgium; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1256-6293
Dennis G BartenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, VieCuri Medical Center, Venlo, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7185-9491
Derrick TinDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MassachusettsUSA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0804-5313
Luc J MortelmansCenter for Research and Education in Emergency Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; REGEDIM, Free University Brussels, Belgium; Department of Emergency Medicine, ZNA Camp Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium.
Gregory R CiottoneDirector, BIDMC Disaster Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsUSA.
Francis SomvilleDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Ziekenhuis Geel, Geel, Belgium; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium; Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; CREEC (Center for Research and Education in Emergency Care), University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe on-going Russo-Ukrainian war has resulted in a renewed global interest in the safety and security of nuclear installations and the possibility of nuclear disasters caused by warfare and terrorism.The objective of this study was to identify and characterize all documented terrorist attacks against nuclear transport, nuclear facilities, and nuclear scientists as reported to the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) over a 50-year period.

methodsThe GTD was searched for all terrorist attacks against nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists, nuclear transport, and other nuclear industry-related targets in the period from 1970-2020. Analyses were performed on temporal factors, location, target type, attack and weapon type, perpetrator type, number of casualties, and property value loss.

resultsNinety-one incidents that occurred from 1970 through 2020 were included. Incidents took place in 25 countries and nine world regions, with most (42; 46.1%) occurring in Western Europe.During these 50 years, 91 incidents resulted in 19 fatalities and 117 injuries. One perpetrator was killed during an incident and one other assailant was injured.Bombings and explosions were the most frequently identified attack type (n = 40; 44.0%), followed by facility/infrastructure damage (n = 24; 26.4%) and armed assaults and assassinations (both n = 7; 7.7%).Nuclear power plants and reactors under construction were targeted in 13 (14.3%) and eight (8.8%) incidents, respectively. Most of the attacks took place on other nuclear industry-related sites.

conclusionTerrorist attacks carried out by non-state perpetrators against nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists, nuclear transport, and other nuclear industry-related targets are rare, with only 91 incidents in a 50-year period. None of the attacks resulted in radioactive fallout or environmental contamination. Most of the attacks took place outside a nuclear power plant.

Indexed as

Disaster PlanningTerrorismEuropeHumansCounter-Terrorism Medicinenuclear industryterrorismuranium

Identifiers

PMID36647742
PMCPMC10067068

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.