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Re: 'Dirty Bomb' Was Major New Year's Worry
There are Am-241+Be sources used in oil propesction with activity up to 800
GBq (20 Ci)
Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Nicholls" <Gerald.Nicholls@dep.state.nj.us>
To: <k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov>; <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: 'Dirty Bomb' Was Major New Year's Worry
> Something doesn't make sense here. Looking for a nuclear weapon with a
> neutron sensitive detectionn system makes sense, but you wouldn't want
> to look for a "dirty bomb" with it. While it might be possible to make
> a dirty bomb using a neutron source, it would be difficult to find
> materials for it and to disperse them. It's far more likely that
> someone would construct a dirty bomb using Cs-137, Sr-90, Co-60, or
> Ra-226. It's possible but more unlikely that someone would use a
> collection of medical radioisotopes or even a huge number of Am-241
> smoke detector sources. None of these emit neutrons and hence a microR
> meter and a GM meter would be the instruments of choice.
>
> A dirty bomb based on sources from a large number of moisture-density
> gauges might be an exception to the above but it would still emit gamma
> radiation if both sources from the gauge were used.
>
> Gerald Nicholls
>
> >>> "Kim D. Merritt" <k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov> 01/08/04 08:14AM >>>
> Do not underestimate their instrumentation. They are designed to look
> for
> weapons not radiographers, and I would not expect radiographers to be
> congregating in public areas with their sources. In any event, if they
>
> detected a radiography source it would (hopefully) be accompanied by a
>
> person authorized to be in possession of it so it would not show up as
> an
> anomalous event.
>
> At 11:06 PM 1/7/04, you wrote:
> >I saw some of the detectors on the TV and they didn't appear very
> >sophisticated.
> >
> >If they were really digging for radioactivity hot spots, how did they
> miss
> >all the radiographers who carry large cobalt and Iridium sources to
> and
> >from pipeline and refinery sites in the Houston area.
>
> Kim Merritt
> Radiation/Laser Safety Officer
> HazMed, Inc.
> NASA Langley Research Center
> Hampton, VA
> (757)864-3210
> <mailto:k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov>
>
> Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do
> not
> necessarily state or reflect those of NASA or the United States
> Government,
> nor do they represent the official position of NASA.
>
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