Originally posted by Tuomio
Just for curiosity. How does one make an effective dirty bomb? Take X amount of solid radioactive waste and wrap it around 1000 kg:s of TNT? What is the dispersion scenario in such event, how far will the solid radioactive materials travel?
The dispersion of such radioactive material depends on the direction and intensity of the wind. 1 grain of radioactive material say, from depleted material coming from a hospital X-ray area, inhaled, is lethal within approx. 3 days, depending on the age and health of the individual (This is off the top of my bald head on a documentary that aired on TV recently.) It is not so much the area that it covers that poses the threat, its the clean up and future habitation of an area that has been exposed to a dirty bomb that concerns scientists.(See quote below with the link) With no wind, an area 1 mile in diameter would be considered "Contaminated" with convention explosives and radioactive material that amounts to roughly 5 lbs of "Cesium", a commonly used radioactive material used in hospitals and manufacturing industrys alike.
Where can you aquire lots of highly radioactive materials, how to store them and how to transport them without being noticed?
Alot of radioactive materials is not needed, and it does not have to be "highly radioactive" to be lethal to humans. Depleted radioactive materials such as those found in 30mm load in the A-10 can be hazardous. Speaking for the level 1 trauma unit my wife works in, these depleted sources after their useful life are identifed with the proper labels within a lead case. They since changed the procedure for the transportation of such material, and the security clearances of those who do so.
Also, i have understood, that radioactive waste is life threatening only when ingested or you being exposed to the rays for prolonged perioids.
Radiological attacks constitute a credible threat. Radioactive materials that could be used for such attacks are stored in thousands of facilities around the US, many of which may not be adequately protected against theft by determined terrorists. Some of this material could be easily dispersed in urban areas by using conventional explosives or by other methods.
While radiological attacks would result in some deaths, they would not result in the hundreds of thousands of fatalities that could be caused by a crude nuclear weapon. Attacks could contaminate large urban areas with radiation levels that exceed EPA health and toxic material guidelines.
Materials that could easily be lost or stolen from US research institutions and commercial sites could contaminate tens of city blocks at a level that would require prompt evacuation and create terror in large communities even if radiation casualties were low. Areas as large as tens of square miles could be contaminated at levels that exceed recommended civilian exposure limits. Since there are often no effective ways to decontaminate buildings that have been exposed at these levels, demolition may be the only practical solution. If such an event were to take place in a city like New York, it would result in losses of potentially trillions of dollars.
http://www.fas.org/faspir/2002/v55n2/dirtybomb.htm
