Re: Dirty Bombs

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

Just to add my two cents to the excellent responses:


The FAS used a standard Gaussian air dispersion model which is not applicable to the winds in urban street canyons (that I have personally observed while walking from the Naitonal Gallery of Art to Union Station).


The National Gallery is quite heavily patrolled by Capitol police 24 hrs a day, especially now.


That much Cs 137 (about a curie, if you back-calculate) would either be transported in a well-shielded and pretty heavy container or be readily detectable.  Facilities at risk now have rad detection equipment.


Manhattan is an island, and only two access routes -- bridges -- allow trucks at all, and they are patrolled at both ends.  I am pretty sure that since Sept. 11 trucks are scrutinized carefully for hazardous materials.


Aerosolizing Co-60 seeds (let alone making a significant fraction of the aerosol respirable) is quite a trick -- I doubt if the amount of explosive postulated would do it. 


Overall, I ask myself: what does FAS hope to accomplush by this kind of report (or this kind of testimony to Congress)?  Had they included some preventive measures in their testimony, I would be more convinced of their constructive intent.


Ruth


 

Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com