An ABC News investigation that tested the safety of 25 campus nuclear research reactors throughout the country cited security concerns at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but city and MIT officials say the nuclear reactor is well-guarded and poses no threat to the surrounding community.

ABC News conducted the study to determine if campus nuclear reactor sites, including the one at MIT that has operated safely for 47 years, pose public safety concerns because the explosive chemicals contained within the reactors that could be possible terrorist targets.

“The synopsis by which [ABC News] claimed [the nuclear reactor] could be targeted is not likely because of the amount of protection before you get to the core,” Cambridge Mayor Michael Sullivan told The Daily Free Press.

In the ABC News study, a news producer parked a truck near the reactor to investigate how accessible the site is to the public. ABC reported that MIT officials did not question their placement of the vehicle. The study also found detailed plans of the reactor site were attainable on the internet, citing this as a security concern.

In a letter to the senior producer of ABC News, Denise Brehm, spokeswoman for MIT, defended the institution and stressed that precautions were taken to guard the reactor.

“MIT has initiated several security studies of the research reactor and is confident that the reactor’s containment facility and security guidelines protect the MIT and Cambridge communities from the possibility of harm from the reactor itself,” Brehm wrote.

Sullivan also defended MIT, noting the many protective barriers in place around the reactor core.

“The nuclear reactor is protected by several barriers — including a five-foot concrete wall — making it difficult to penetrate from the outside,” he said.

Regarding the proximity of the ABC News truck to the reactor site, Sullivan said that even if that vehicle had contained explosives, the reactor core would have remained impenetrable.

According to an MIT news report released Oct. 13, the truck “did not actually enter the secure perimeter around the reactor.” The report also said that MIT has conducted tests in the past to confirm that the reactor is safe.

The MIT news report also said that the plans for the reactor site, available online, were outdated and did not contain security-sensitive information. All information regarding the nuclear reactor, which posed possible security concerns, was removed from the MIT website after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Security remains high at the MIT nuclear research reactor site — background checks are performed on people who request a tour of the facility, and two armed guards are also on site.

“MIT believes that the nation benefits from the existence of the research reactor and that it poses no safety or security threat to the community,” Brehm wrote in her letter to ABC.

Sullivan said minimal security concerns have been reported from area residents, but he plans to hold a public meeting to address the safety of the MIT reactor site.

“We want to offer a community meeting with MIT officials and our own city officials to address any safety concerns,” Sullivan said.

Community organizations, such as the Porter Square Neighbors Association, did not express concern about the reactor.

“It’s a very, very small reactor surrounded by a lot of concrete,” said David Reed, president of the Porter Square Neighbors Association. “It poses a threat to no one.”