What are "dirty bombs"? PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O'Brien examines the threat that radioactive "dirty bombs" pose to cities in the U.S., and what is being done to prevent a radiological attack. Unlike an atomic weapon, the radioactive materials in a dirty bomb do not fuel the explosion itself with nuclear fission or fusion. Instead, a conventional explosion is used as a means to spread a toxic cloud of radioactive dust. The chemicals in that toxic cloud could seriously injury and/or kill anyone who comes into contact with the radioactive dust.
Many scientists and terrorists experts believe that a dirty bomb attack in the U.S. is all but inevitable. Physicist Charles Ferguson acknowledges that if an attack occurred, the effects would not only be human causalities but economic damage and social disruption with long-term health effects for those exposed to the chemicals.
Radioactive material can be found various forms include educational, medical and industrial applications as well as orange colored glaze used for plates and cups. The federal government estimates there are 77,000 sources of radiation that would be useful for a dirty bomb in 2,700 buildings in the U.S. Experts from the NNSA and the Los Alamos National Lab are recovering radioactive material that is no longer in use. Thus far, they have secured nearly 25,000 sources at about 900 sites around the world.
Some of those recovered items include flow meters and pumps used in oil production, devices used by schools for radiation experiments, medical scanners and blood irradiators. The NNSA is working with 90 other countries trying to secure radioactive material in about 13,000 buildings.
Quotes
"Explosives are available and radiological material are available. You just have to bring the two of them together." Raymond Kelly, New York City police commissioner
"Well, first of all, you can't get enough radioactive material. And, to disperse it, you need something water-soluble would be better, because then you can absorb it into something that, with a bomb, you can disperse it over to a large area." Bob Lazar, United Nuclear
Warm Up Questions
1.What is a dirty bomb?2.What is terrorism?3.What is radioactive material?
Discussion Questions
1.Why do you think someone would want to build and detonate a “dirty bomb?2.Do you think the U.S. is doing enough to ease the threat of radioactive terrorism?3.If you worked for the National Nuclear Security Administration, how you go about protecting Americans from radioactive terrorism?
Additional Resources
