Dirty Bombs

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Dirty Bombs

• Bill Hall
• EPR Epidemiologist
• Eastern Shore (VA) Health District

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What is a Dirty Bomb ?

• A dirty bomb or radiological dispersion device
  (RDD),is a bomb that combines conventional
  explosives, such as dynamite, with radioactive
  materials in the form of powder or pellets.

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Purpose and Function

• The main purpose is to frighten people and make
  buildings or land unusable for a long period of
  time.
• The function of a dirty bomb is to blast
  radioactive material into the area around the
  explosion.

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Dirty Bomb vs Atomic Bomb

• The atomic explosions that occurred in Hiroshima
  and Nagasaki were conventional nuclear weapons
  involving a fission reaction.
• A dirty bomb is designed to spread radioactive
  material and contaminate a small area.

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Control of Material

• There are over 21,000 organizations in the united
  states licensed to use radioactive material.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission together with
  32 states regulate radioactive materials.
• Other than nuclear facilities most are of small
  amounts.

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Sources of Radioactive Materials

• Most potentially harmful type of radioactive
  materials can be found in
• Nuclear Power Plants
• Nuclear Weapon Sites
• Most nuclear facilities are under extreme
  security making it a less vulnerable option.

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Locations of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants
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Other Source Locations

• More reasonably accessible sources of radioactive
  material are
• Hospitals
• Construction Sites
• Food Irradiation Plants
• College and High School Laboratories
• Research Facilities
• Smoke Detector Manufacturers
• Extreme risk due to minimal to
• complete lack of security present

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Impact of a Dirty Bomb

• The extent would depend on a number of factors
• Size of the explosive
• Weather conditions
• Density of population
• Type of radioactive material

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Distance of Effect
To minimize exposure maximize your distance
HOT ZONE WARM ZONE COLD ZONE
You
Incident
WIND
DOWNWIND DOWNHILL
UPWIND UPHILL
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Case History
Incidents occurring in heavily populated areas
could effect several hundreds, if not thousands
of potential radiation victims.
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Potential Locations

• Potential Dirty Bomb targets are usually highly
  populated public areas such as
• Malls
• Subways and Trains
• Trash Cans or Dumpsters
• Amusement Parks
• Restaurants
• Airports
• Anywhere that people passing by might get a
  significant dose of radiation is a potential
  target hazard.

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First Responders

• Firefighters / Paramedics (Responding to fires,
  explosions, hazmat spills, and medical calls)
• Law Enforcement (Investigating suspicious
  activity, serving warrants, etc...)
• US Coast Guard (Inspecting vessels, responding to
  waterborne emergencies)
• Hospital Emergency Department Staff(Large event
  and walk in emergencies)

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Recognition of aRadiological Event

• The radiological nature of a nuclear facility and
  placarded transportation accidents may be self
  evident, however
• Less obvious is the radiological components of
• Fire involving radiological materials,
• Radiological dirty bomb,
• Dispersed material (fire, sprayed, etc), and
• Exposed high intensity sources.
• Tools are needed to help first
• Responders recognize the
• radiological nature of an event.

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Early Detection

• Is your key to limiting potential exposure.
• Time is a huge factor in howmuch exposureone
  could receive.

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Desirable Properties for Detection Tools

• Alerts user of radiation above background
• Detect alpha beta radiation
• Records dose
• Alarms in hazardous situations
• Work continuously without user intervention
• Simple and intuitive, requiring little training
• Small size, something easily worn
• Inexpensive to purchase and maintain

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Detection Equipment

• Personal DosimetersRadiation meters that look
  like pagers, watches, key chains, rings and even
  pens.

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Electronic Dosimeters

• The Pros
• Alarms in hazardous situations.
• Can identify a significant radiological event.
• Records dose.
• Long battery life.
• Small size.
• Simple operation and often very rugged.
• The Cons
• Not necessarily sensitive enough to detect low
  levels of radiation.
• Wont detect alpha or low energy beta radiation.

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What to do if it Actually Explodes ?

• Move away from the immediate area. At least
  several blocks and go inside a building this
  will limit exposure to radioactive airborne
  dust.
• Remove clothes and place them in a sealed plastic
  bag. Save the contaminated clothes for testing.
• Take a shower to wash off dust and dirt. This
  will reduce total radiation exposure absorbed
  through the skin.
• Turn on local radio or TV channels for advisories
  and instructions from emergency personnel.

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Scene Management

• Law enforcement should maintain a perimeter
  around the incident.
• Strict hot, warm and cold zones should be
  enforced to limit people exposed leaving the
  scene and potentially exposing others.
• Medical triage should be established to
  prioritize patients level of medical need.

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Potential Suspects

• Help identify potential suspects by being
  observant of not-so-normal activities.
• Warning signs may include
• Dress (Tourist style clothing, abnormal for
  current weather)
• Speech (Broken English, foreign accent)
• Writing (hand drawn maps, written in other
  language)
• Actions (Watching clocks, looking for authority
  figures)
• Markings (Tattoos, scars)
• All suspicious activity should be reported to the
  police
• immediately for questioning.

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Is there a Risk of Cancer ?

• Some cancers can be caused by exposure to
  radiation.
• Just because you are near a radioactive source
  for a short time or if you are exposed to
  radioactive dust does not mean you will get
  cancer.
• Doctors will be able to determine appropriate
  counteractive measures once the source and
  exposure level can be determined.

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Potassium Iodide (KI)

• Potassium iodide, also called KI, only protects a
  persons thyroid gland from exposure to
  radioactive iodine.
• KI will not protect you after exposure. It must
  be taken prior.
• KI can be dangerous to take, taking KI is not
  recommended unless there is a high risk of being
  exposed.

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Conclusion

• Radiological attacks constitute a credible
  threat, especially following September 11, 2001
  tragedies.
• Many radiological bomb making materials are
  easily accessible with little to no security
  measures present.
• Dirty bombs likely would result in some deaths
  but not constitute hundreds or thousands of
  fatalities as could be seen in conventional high
  power explosives.

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Conclusion

• Early detection equipment, observations from law
  enforcement and citizens, in conjunction with
  level headed decisions from emergency personnel,
  could limit or even prevent a potential dirty
  bomb exposure from occurring and ultimately the
  conviction of a dirty bomber.

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Questions?