Nuclear Materials

Based on § 11 art. 1 of Atomic Act, Commission Regulation (Euratom) no. 302/2005 on the application of Euratom safeguards and Art. 197 of Euratom Treaty, nuclear materials include special fissile materials, uranium enriched in the isotopes uranium 235 or 233, source materials and ores, where:

  • ‘Special fissile materials’ means plutonium 239; uranium 233; uranium enriched in uranium 235 or uranium 233; and any substance containing one or more of the foregoing isotopes and such other fissile materials as may be specified by the Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission; the expression ‘special fissile materials’ does not, however, include source materials.
  • ‘Uranium enriched in uranium 235 or uranium 233’ means uranium containing uranium 235 or uranium 233 or both in an amount such that the abundance ratio of the sum of these isotopes to isotope 238 is greater than the ratio of isotope 235 to isotope 238 occurring in nature.
  • ‘Source materials’ means uranium containing the mixture of isotopes occurring in nature; uranium whose content in uranium 235 is less than the normal; thorium; any of the foregoing in the form of metal, alloy, chemical compound or concentrate; any other substance containing one or more of the foregoing in such a concentration as shall be specified by the Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission.
  • ‘Ores’ means any ore containing, in such average concentration as shall be specified by the Council acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, substances from which the source materials defined above may be obtained by the appropriate chemical and physical processing.

To clarify in the Slovak Republic nuclear material is often found for example in the form of depleted uranium shielding containers used as shielding for ionizing radiation sources (various flaw detectors, level measurement equipments, medical devices). They can also be chemical compounds, neutron sources (Pu-Be neutron sources).

If a natural or legal person wants to terminate the handling of nuclear material and transfer nuclear material to another person, he may hand over this material only to such a person who holds the UJD SR permit for the handling of nuclear materials.

In case of finding of nuclear material or in case of suspicion that it is nuclear material the finder is obliged to report this finding to ÚJD SR (info@www.ujd.gov.sk). More details can be found in the Atomic Act.

Updated: 11.08.2022