DIRTY BOMB (RADIOLOGICAL DISPERSION DEVICE)

Dirty Bomb - Definition

A dirty bomb is not a nuclear bomb. It is a radiological dispersion device (RDD). It is easy to build, conventional explosive packed with radioactive material. Figure 5 shows a simple crude form of a dirty bomb. When such a bomb is exploded, it will disperse radioactive material. A high dose of high energy radiation, such as X-ray emitted by radioactive dust, can induce cancer.

Figure 5. A simple crude form of a dirty bomb (Scientific American, November 2002, page 76)

Dirty Bomb – Its Effects

A simulated effect of detonation of a dirty bomb (3,500 curie of cesium-137 with ~50 lbs of explosive) at the lower tip of Manhattan Island is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. A simulated effect of detonation of dirty bomb (3,500 curie of cesium-137 with ~50 lbs of explosive) at the lower tip of Manhattan Island (Scientific American, November 2002, page 76)

Although the dispersal of radioactive material and radiation from the bomb will not be effective in killing people, it could cause a huge public response and disrupt the economy and living conditions in the area contaminated. If such a dirty bomb is exploded at the tip of Manhattan, there will be massive panic and disruption. Contamination will depend upon on the size of the explosive, amount and type of radioactive material and weather conditions. Radioactive dust will settle on people, buildings, and roads. Winds and air circulation systems in buildings will spread the radioactive dust even more. Rain will wash the radioactivity into soil, sewer systems and rivers.

EPA regulations require that contaminated areas should be cleaned if the risk is one death in 10,000 people. Because decontaminating certain areas might not be financially or technically possible, we might have to demolish or abandon several square miles of a city. We know from first hand experience that terrorists can destroy our buildings. With a dirty bomb, they could they force us to do it to ourselves on a much grander scale. 

A dirty bomb could result in potentially trillions of dollars of losses if it is detonated in New York City, according to testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in March 6, 2002 on the threat of radiological attack by terrorist groups, by Henry Kelly, President of Federation of American Scientists (http://fas.org/ssp/docs/030602-kellytestimony.htm). Millions of people will leave the affected area in a state of panic, leading to potentially deadly accidents. It would be a logistical nightmare to relocate so many people in such a short time.

Everyone in and nearby the affected area will need to determine their exposure to radiation. With no other knowledge or preparation, people will rush to hospitals in droves. In order to determine radiation exposure, hospitals will need to obtain blood samples from every potential victim. That will be practically impossible to do with so many people affected. First responders will also be exposed to radiation. It is imperative they know how much radiation they have been exposed to so they can leave the affected area before they received a higher dangerous dose. In an unintended incident of a similar nature, almost 10% of the population of Goiania, Brazil demanded testing for radiation exposure in 1987.

Dirty Bomb – Is the Threat Real?

There have been several incidents over the past 20 years which indicate the dirty bomb threat is real. For example, (1) Chechnyan rebels directed a TV reporter to a park in central Moscow in 1995. When she reached there she found a package containing about 15lbs of explosives and cesium-137. This was the first known appearance of a dirty bomb. (2) Iraq tested a crude radiological device in 1987, according to frequently cited intelligence reports.  (3) Operatives for Osama bin Laden in Sudan tried and failed to buy enriched uranium produced in South Africa on the black market. (4) American-led forces discovered some documents in Afghanistan which contained detailed information on the making and use of a dirty bomb in fall of 2001. (5) Police arrested Jose Padilla (Abdullah al Muhajir). Apparently, he received $10,000 from Al Qaeda to carry out a dirty bomb explosion. (6) A large number of radioactive items that can be used to make dirty bombs are unaccounted for in the USA and Russia. (7) About 280 confirmed cases of illicit trafficking in radioactive materials since 1993 been reported.

“There is a 10 to 40 percent chance that terrorists will conduct a successful attack with a crude ‘dirty bomb’ in the next five to 10 years”, said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security.
 

Dirty Bomb - Unintended Comparable Incidences

There are several unintended comparable incidences which indicate that a dirty bomb could create massive disruption. The following are a few examples:

Goiania, Brazil, 1987: A scrap merchant stole a radiation therapy source from a hospital (which was closed) in Goiania, Brazil in 1987. It contained a small amount (size of a cigarette lighter) of highly concentrated radioactive cesium chloride. He cut the source and the powder was released and contaminated the area. The radioactive dust was tracked throughout Goiania. Nearly two hundred people were exposed to high dose of radiation. Four died, including a four-year-old girl who had eaten a sandwich after playing with blue radioactive powder. She was buried in a lead coffin sealed in concrete. Pavements, buildings, etc. needed to be scrubbed and scraped. Contaminated soil had to be dug up and carted away. Some homes that couldn't be cleaned were carted away. Decontamination took six months. The radioactive material created 5,000 cubic meters of waste. More than 100,000 people (~10% population) demanded screening. Everyone wanted to be monitored. The long-term socio-economic effects were devastating. Goiania suffered a 20% drop in gross domestic product. Tourism dropped to zero. Demand for food and other products plummeted.

Photos of the scrap yard, demolition of a building and carting of contaminated soil.

Georgia, 2001: Two men were admitted to a hospital with terrible radiation burns in December 2001 in Georgia. They had spent a night in a forest beside a small, warm, metal cylinder. Radiation detectors indicated that the cylinders contained concentrated strontium-90, which emits beta radiation. When beta particles interact with matter, they generate an intense heat. This kind of generator could run for decades without refueling as they could produce an internal temperature of over 800 degrees and convert that heat into electricity. The Soviets had built thousands of these generators. Therefore, the ingredients for a dirty bomb could be all over the former Soviet Union. U.N. investigators have established that the former Soviet Union is littered with forgotten cesium chloride. Unfortunately, no one knows whether any of it has already fallen into the wrong hands.

Chernobyl,Ukraine, April 1986: The explosion of Chernobyl's nuclear power plant is well known. It released huge amounts of strontium-90, iodine-131 and other radioisotopes which forced the permanent evacuation of hundreds of square miles in the Ukraine. About 2,000 children developed thyroid cancer as a result of Chernobyl.

Between 1944 and 1999 there were 400 radiation accidents leading to about 3,000 persons over exposed with 130 fatalities. The fatalities includes 28 firefighters who suffered acute radiation disease due to the Chernobyl accident in April 1986 and 17 cancer patients who received an overdose up to 60% in a radiotherapy department in a Costa Rican hospital in August 1996 due to calibration mistake causing their death within three years.. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3007_dirtybom.html

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN AN EVENT OF A DIRTY BOMB DETONATION

The government agencies recommend the following steps in an event of a dirty bomb detonation:

• Move away from the immediate area - at least several blocks from the explosion - and go inside.  This will reduce exposure to any radioactive airborne dust.
• Turn on local radio or TV channels for advisories from local emergency response and health authorities.
• If facilities are available, remove clothes and place them in a sealed plastic bag.  Saving contaminated clothing will allow testing for exposure without invasive sampling.
• Take a shower to wash off dust and dirt.  This will reduce total exposure.
• If radioactive material was released, local news broadcasts will advise people where to report for radiation monitoring and blood tests to determine whether they were in fact exposed and what steps to take to protect their health.

If you know your radiation exposure (e.g., if you are using SIRAD) and if the dose is higher than 25 rads, seek medical help immediately.