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Dirty Bomb Most Likely WMD to be Used, Experts Say
A U.S. Senate survey found that 85 government officials and U.S. and international experts believed a radiological “dirty bomb” is the weapon of mass destruction most likely to be used, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 28). Forty percent of those surveyed last summer believed an attack with such a weapon would occur in the next 10 years. However, many experts said that a weapon combining radioactive material and conventional explosives would not cause mass casualties and that the media oversells the possibility of such an attack. “It's not a trivial thing to do, build a dirty bomb. It's not simply a matter of tying a rod of cesium to a couple of sticks of dynamite and running away,” said physicist Benn Tannenbaum. Three Chechens died of radiation exposure in 1999 after trying to steal radioactive rods from a laboratory, AP reported. Cesium 137, cobalt 60 and other radioactive isotopes are stored in rods, powder and pellet form in common equipment used for radiation therapy, food irradiation and industrial purposes. Russia has recovered 72 strontium generators and 1,000 other abandoned radioactive sources. The United States has recovered about 11,000. The International Atomic Energy Agency has found 100 radiological sources in former Soviet republics. Agency program chief Vilmos Friedrich called these sources “the highest priority only. The job is not complete by any means.” The United States has approximately 500 radiation sensors operating around the country to detect radiological materials and is working to expand this network to international ports. Participation has been limited in the Megaports program, AP reported. Some ports shy away from the extra costs and potential for cargo delays. At Rotterdam’s port, which is Europe’s busiest, harmless items such as vegetables, dishware and juice have set off alarms. “They talk about our ‘false’ or 'innocent' alarms,” said Dutch Customs official Bert Wiersema. “It doesn't matter. We want to detect everything.” No bombs have been detected since the sensors came online 18 months ago, AP reported (Charles Hanley, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Nov. 1).
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