Border Security Fails "Dirty Bomb" Test

The federal Government Accountability Office late last year sent undercover investigators with radioactive material -- sufficient to produce two so-called "dirty bombs" -- through Northern and Southern U.S. border checkpoints to test security. The investigators had phony documents, posed as employees of a fictitious company, and got through the U.S. ports of entry with little trouble.

Vehicles were properly inspected and radiation portal monitors spotted the radioactive material. However, phony documents presented by the investigators were not questioned and the radioactive material was allowed to cross into the United States.

Corrective measures have since been taken, especially regarding document authentication. A detailed description of both border crossings is available online.