Key Issues
Steps for Public Safety Against a ‘Dirty Bomb’
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What are the experts saying?
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
“Most [dirty bombs] would not release enough radiation to kill people or cause severe illness—the conventional explosive itself would be more harmful to people than the radioactive material. However, depending on the scenario, [a dirty bomb] explosion could create fear and panic, contaminate property and require potentially costly cleanup. … A dirty bomb is not a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ but a ‘Weapon of Mass Disruption,’ where contamination and anxiety are the terrorists’ major objectives.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“A dirty bomb uses dynamite or other explosives to scatter radioactive dust, smoke or other material. … The main danger from a dirty bomb is from the explosion, which can cause serious injuries and property damage. The radioactive materials used in a dirty bomb would probably not create enough radiation exposure to cause immediate serious illness, except to those who are very close to the blast site.”
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies:
“To cause a large amount of radioactive contamination, [terrorists] would be drawn toward very high-activity sources. However, in order to prepare the source for effective dispersal by removing the shielding, terrorists would risk exposing themselves to lethal doses. … If they tried to protect themselves by shielding the source, the weight of the radiological dispersal device could significantly increase, thereby increasing the difficulty of delivering the device and causing successful dispersion of the radioactive material” (Commercial Radioactive Sources: Surveying the Security Risk, January 2003).
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What are the experts saying?
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
“Most [dirty bombs] would not release enough radiation to kill people or cause severe illness—the conventional explosive itself would be more harmful to people than the radioactive material. However, depending on the scenario, [a dirty bomb] explosion could create fear and panic, contaminate property and require potentially costly cleanup. … A dirty bomb is not a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ but a ‘Weapon of Mass Disruption,’ where contamination and anxiety are the terrorists’ major objectives.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“A dirty bomb uses dynamite or other explosives to scatter radioactive dust, smoke or other material. … The main danger from a dirty bomb is from the explosion, which can cause serious injuries and property damage. The radioactive materials used in a dirty bomb would probably not create enough radiation exposure to cause immediate serious illness, except to those who are very close to the blast site.”
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies:
“To cause a large amount of radioactive contamination, [terrorists] would be drawn toward very high-activity sources. However, in order to prepare the source for effective dispersal by removing the shielding, terrorists would risk exposing themselves to lethal doses. … If they tried to protect themselves by shielding the source, the weight of the radiological dispersal device could significantly increase, thereby increasing the difficulty of delivering the device and causing successful dispersion of the radioactive material” (Commercial Radioactive Sources: Surveying the Security Risk, January 2003).
Pages 1 2 3
