"Dirty bombs" - request for facts

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

Dear Radsafers,



I have now read quite a few comments on "dirty bombs", but what I have not

read yet are real facts.



We know a lot of literature about the effects of a nuclear bomb and the

destruction it will cause depending on the explosive force (given in

Megatons). We even know the dependency on the wind direction and on the

orographic structure of the area, where the bomb is exploded, we have learnt

a lot from the Chernobyl accident about the distribution of radioactive

debris and clouds, dependency on wind direction, size of the aerosol

particles, the dependency of food contamination on the season and the

composition of fall out.



Please, do not pretend, that the effects of a "radiological bomb" have never

been investigated. There must be a lot of literature (probably classified?)

taking into account various scenarios regarding type and activity of

radionuclides used, explosive yields used to explode the bomb. The scenarios

would have to restrict their assumptions to sources used in technologies for

medical uses and technical uses. The impact of I-131 sources, which moreover

seem not to be available in high activity concentrations, Iridium sources

and Co-60 sources which might be very hard to disperse and sources for food

irradiation (Co-60?) could easily be excluded as well as other high activity

sources, because terrorists would be killed by their radiation almost

immediately after a more than questionable theft. This is true even for

sources conventionally used in nuclear medicine and which are usually as

short-lived as possible in order to reduce the radiation exposure to the

patients. Insofar the Goiana accident - but as well dozens of other

accidents which occurred involving radioactive sources - may help to make an

risk estimate of such a device. The dissembling of the source seems to have

been in several cases of lethal impact. I am waiting eagerly for a reaction

of Jose Rozental,

who without doubt is the ultimate authority on the Goiana accident.



Such an expertise with real facts, rather than "not much", "small",

negligible" would be of real importance for people, who have to report to

not only journalists, but to authorities and radiation protection scientists

and who are working for national authorities like me, do.



No sources? No research? I cannot believe it!



Franz





















Franz Schoenhofer

Habicherg. 31/7

A-1160 Vienna, AUSTRIA

Phone: -43 699 11681319

e-mail: franz.schoenhofer@chello.at



Office:

MR Dr. Franz Schoenhofer

Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management

Dep. I/8U, Radiation Protection

Radetzkystr. 2

A-1031 Vienna, AUSTRIA

phone: +43-1-71100-4458

fax: +43-1-7122331

e-mail: franz.schoenhofer@bmu.gv.at













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