Dirty Bombs ALA DU (WAS Re: ABC's Depleted Uranium Smuggling Article)

[LNMolino@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 12/29/2003 7:38:45 PM Central Standard Time, Gv1@AOL.COM 

writes:



SNIP>>>>> I would think a dirty bomb with DU would be just as scary to the 

public as any other dirty bomb, because you could detect the beta along with the 

even more deadly alpha being emitted.  You can see reporters with a frisker 

alarming the public at a few hundred counts above background. SNIP>>>>>



Well, I too think your point is well taken but from a VERY differing angle.



First Responders (the ones with the big Red Trucks and funny hats) will use 

those fancy monitors that they got for Christmas and they will get "more then" 

a background reading. They will respond to that reading and that reading 

alone. The real question that has no straight answer is how will the react to that 

reading, how will they interpret that reading and how will they put that 

reading into proper context both from a radiation physics perspective (which they 

have MINIMAL background in as in training and NO experience for the most part) 

as well as a tactical operational perspective.



If the scenario is BOOM, then some type of treat like "You will all GLOW now" 

and then they see "more then background" on their meter that they have little 

real experience with then I can assure you that they will respond to the 

incident as a DIRTY BOMB even absent any "real" RAD threat.



The US is working to fix our lack of training and understanding of the RAD 

threat but one thing that I think many of us forget is that fire and police and 

EMS folks are NOT nor do they want to be RAD folks and very few RAD folks are 

operationally competent to deal with the BOOM side of the pictures so in the 

words of a famous man from LA a few years back "why can't we all just get 

along?".



I for one from the First Responder perspective have learned a GREAT deal here 

and I've tried to pass that on to my colleagues. I hope it's a 2-way street.



thanks.



Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

LNMolino@aol.com

979-690-3607 (Home Office)



"A Texan with a Jersey Attitude"



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