Radiological Weapons:  U.S. Experts Conduct “Dirty Bomb” Tests

For the past six months, U.S. experts have conducted tests on the basic designs of “dirty bombs” in an attempt to learn more about how they work, according to a U.S. official, the Associated Press reported Friday (see GSN, March 14).

Experts at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico have been conducting tests using simulated radioactive materials to determine the influence of blast and wind factors on the spread of radiation following the detonation of a dirty bomb, which combines radioactive materials and conventional explosives, the official said.  Researchers have determined that cesium chlorine powder, used in food irradiators and some older medical devices, is one of the best materials for such a weapon, according to AP.

“It’s very radioactive, and the powder disperses well, the official said.

The tests are set to increase to the level of radiothermal generators (RTGs) — devices developed by the United States and the Soviet Union as power sources for remotely installed equipment, the official said.  Such devices often contain 40,000 curies worth of radioactive materials, such as strontium.  About 1,000 curies worth of such material is needed to make an effective dirty bomb, according to experts.

“A Russian admiral told us there have been many attempted thefts of RTGs reported,” the U.S. official said, adding that none of the attempted thefts were reported to be successful (Charles Hanley, Associated Press/Rocky Mountain News, March 14).

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Radiological Weapons:  Conference Says Tighter Source Controls Needed

A Vienna conference on preventing the use of a “dirty bomb” called yesterday for tighter controls on radioactive sources worldwide and new international efforts to make the search for radioactive material easier (see GSN, March 11).

“High-risk radioactive sources that are not under secure and regulated control, including so-called ‘orphan’ sources, raise serious security and safety concerns,” the International Conference on Security of Radioactive Sources announced yesterday.  Over 700 delegates from more than 120 countries attended the meeting (International Atomic Energy Agency release, March 13).

In its findings, the conference supported “the pooling of resources by states — e.g., through the sharing of monitoring and detection equipment on common borders” and the continued “development of the IAEA illicit trafficking database.”

The findings called for developing members of the conference to receive help “in establishing sustainable radiation protection infrastructures.”

The conference supported the formal endorsement of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.  That document is being revised to account for current concerns (David McGlinchey, Global Security Newswire, March 14).

Delegates also encouraged states to develop action plans to locate and recover radioactive sources, strengthen existing measures to stop trafficking, push public awareness campaigns and improve current agreements that attempt to address the problem, according to the IAEA.

“There are millions of radiological sources used throughout the world.  Most are very weak.  What we are focusing on is preventing the theft or loss of control of the powerful radiological sources,” IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said (IAEA release, March 13).

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