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It may be easy shield and transport, but it has a large
gamma signature that can be easily detected from a great distance. Unless
the material is removed from the encapsulation or the source was pre-scored to a
proper depth, the source would just be flung away intact by a crude explosive
device. An intact source would be more of a hazard, to those unlucky
enough to be near it, than the dispersed source material would be, but then
again it could be easily found and dealt with.
The key to any cleanup is education of the masses, including
regulators and politicians, with the establishment of realistic residual
radioactivity levels. The risk could be established to just below
some every day risk we accept, such as commuting to work in a car or
getting a full body CAT scan.
Dean Chaney, CHP
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 10:35
PM
Subject: Re: Nova - Dirty Bombs - London
Scenario question
What do you mean by large?
The source in Goiania: CsCl - Activity 1375 Ci, Mass,
including matrix 93 g, volume about 31 cubic cm.
Source diameter 3.6 mm, h = 3.0 mm
Ir-192 source for industrial radiography:
metallic form, activity 120 Ci, size 3mm x 3mm, if 100 Ci,
size 3mm x 2.5mm
Shielding for Ir-192 equipment ready to be used
Nominal capacity of 120 curies, depleted
uranium shielding Device weight of 24Kgs., certified type B and very easy to
transport and to remove the source
Jose Julio Rozental
Israel
But a
dirty bomb requires a large source?
-- Source
in Goiania
But a
dirty bomb requires a large source that has to be acquired, then transported
to the place where it will be made into a bomb. Then there's the bomb
fabrication process, loading the bomb into the delivery vehicle and transport
to the destination.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 7:50
PM
Subject: RE: Nova - Dirty Bombs -
London Scenario question
However, there is
another aspect to the suicide bomber scenario. Suicide attacks involve
the attacker either dying in his own explosion or in returned fire.
Either way, the attacker's death is immediate - no lingering, no
suffering.
But a dirty bomb
requires a large source that has to be acquired, then transported to the
place where it will be made into a bomb. Then there's the bomb
fabrication process, loading the bomb into the delivery vehicle and
transport to the destination. As this process evolves, a single case
of acute radiation sickness is likely to derail the whole thing.
Suicide bombers who see that radiation sickness is a relatively lengthy,
truly ugly way to die will likely have second thoughts - cooperation will
become a problem, etc. Trying to manage radiation exposure involving such a
large source so that none of this happens begins to confound the necessary
efforts to do all this inconspicuously.
Bob
Flood
Nevada Test
Site
-----Original
Message-----
From: John
Jacobus [mailto:crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 8:32
AM
To: J. J. Rozental;
Stewart Farber; High Plains Drifter; Radsafe
Subject: Re: Nova - Dirty Bombs -
London Scenario question
If I
may suggest some other aspect.
1. Consider that the ones who assemble the
bomb are not those who deliver it. Therefore the driver may not have
symptoms of radiation sickness as he is in the front and the source is near
the rear doors.
2. To assemble the bomb, the source capsule is
cut using a high-speed circular saw and the CsCl powered is dumped in a
fragile (plastic bag) container that will rupture easily.
The assemble could take less than 15 minutes.
Come on
Stewart. I am sure that if you wanted to make a radiological bomb, you
could do it.
"J. J. Rozental"
<joseroze@netvision.net.il> wrote:
Stewart's comment:
The scenario NOVA
dramatized last night involved a whole lot more Cs-137, or
a source
with 74,000 GBq of Cs-137 [2000 Ci] as I recall them mentioning.
For a
point source of Cs-137 this equates to about 6.6E6 R/hr at 1 cm. If
the
terrorists spent 1 hour at say 2 feet from this unshielded source [???
a
wag assumption] in fabricating the bomb and transporting it they
would
receive about 7,000 R whole body.
comment:
a)
However suppose terrorists instead 2 feet he keeps the source in a
Van,
1.5 m away - the dose drop to about 300 R/h
b) Terrorist do
not care for his life, today countries as Israel and USA
are forced to
witness the hair's breadth of difference between the ability
to prevent
a terrorist attack and the ability of the terrorists to blow
himself up
and to be succeeded in his mission.
Jose Julio Roz! en!
tal
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified
Health Physicist
e-mail: crispy_bird@yahoo.com
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