U.N. Says Materials for Dirty Bomb Easy to Find

Reuters ^ | Tue Jun 25,11:00 AM ET | Louis Charbonneau

[PoppingSmoke]

VIENNA (Reuters) - The United Nations ( news - web sites)' nuclear watchdog Tuesday warned that radioactive materials needed for a "dirty bomb" could be found in almost every country and more than 100 states had inadequate controls to prevent their theft.

Since the hijack attacks in the United States on September 11, fears have grown that radical groups could acquire nuclear materials to make dirty bombs, crude devices using conventional explosives to spread radioactive material.

Two weeks ago, U.S. authorities said they had foiled a plot to explode a dirty bomb in the United States. "What is needed is cradle-to-grave control of powerful radioactive sources to protect them against terrorism or theft," said Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). ElBaradei was announcing an IAEA-led U.S.-Russian mission to track down nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union, such as portable field generators and agricultural powder.

ElBaradei said many radioactive sources were not protected by the tight security common to nuclear power plants.

"These are sources that are used in everyday life -- in medicine, agriculture, industry," ElBaradei said. "Some of these are quite powerful sources that could cause a lot of harm as the result of an accident or an act of violence."

The United States will be spending at least $25 million this year to hunt down nuclear material that has become "orphaned," or no longer regulated, since the Soviet Union's collapse.

Monday, the IAEA told Reuters a priority would be to recover large quantities of caesium-137, a radioactive powder the Soviets used to keep grain from rotting. A small amount could be deadly if used in a dirty bomb. In 1987, a canister of caesium abandoned in a junkyard in Brazil contaminated 240 people, four of whom later died.

In 1996, Chechen rebels placed a container with the powder in a Moscow park. Fortunately, it was never dispersed.

Earlier this year, the IAEA helped the former Soviet republic of Georgia recover two canisters of highly radioactive strontium-90. They were part of abandoned military field generators and seriously injured three woodsmen who found them.

While it may be one of the world's biggest risk areas, the countries of the former Soviet Union are not alone in their failure to keep track of nuclear material. "Even the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that U.S. companies have lost nearly 1,500 radioactive sources within the country since 1996, and more than half were never recovered," the IAEA said.

A European Union study estimated that every year up to 70 radioactive sources were orphaned in the EU.

[PoppingSmoke]

"A European Union study estimated that every year up to 70 radioactive sources were orphaned in the EU."

If you don't think the threat is serious, you better think again. Yes it's difficult, by not that difficult.

[Orangedog]

IMHO, the threat of a dirty bomb would be no worse than the anthrax threat that was the big fear last fall. Yes, there are toxic radiological materials that can be obtained by terrorists, but the effects of any dirty bomb that they could realistically put together would be much more confined than what the press is saying. Yes, they could get cesium or strontium-90, but they would need a train car full of it to contaminate someplace like Wall Street or any other large part of that Island in NYC. The explosion would likely kill more than would die from radiation poisoning. Now if they managed to get their hands on spent nuclear reactor fuel or a sub-crtitcal mass (I.E. not enough for a nuclear bomb) of plutonium or uranium-235, then that would be scary.

[PoppingSmoke]

Economic damage due to the current EPA Standards would be rather large. If something like this would explode in the Wall Street area, though you are correct about immediate casualties, what do you think the economic damage and resulting chaos would be like? You just don't clean up a rad exposure and many, many people are still not educated. It’s nothing like anthrax and even with all the assurances that were given, folk in DC were still nervous and frightened as heck., and still are The danger is real, though we can detect these threats. The Federal Government did not order thousands of rad detectors because it’s nothing more than Anthrax.

[Orangedog]

You are correct, the EPA would be a pain, but I don't think they would take the same attitude toward the property owners that they normally would with say, an owner of an old gas station with an old, leaking underground storage tank. In the current climate, I can't see them handing Wall Street or the port authority the bill and saying "pay up or else!"

If the stock exchanges in the US, Europe, and Asia are smart, they have already made plans to pull the plug on trading within a couple of minutes after a radiological attack on Wall Street. It won't prevent a big sell off, but it might lesson the psycological effect of panic selling.

People will be VERY frightened. I believe that the only reason why there wasn't nation-wide mass panic on 9/11 was that it was such an unexpected shock. People were too stunned to draw out the maximum at the ATM until they were empty, too shocked to run to the grocery store and clean the shelves of every last bit of canned food, batteries and bottled water. I DO remember lines forming at gas stations, where people thought that unleaded was going to cost $5.00/gallon at any moment. I think those things will be more of a threat than the impact on the markets.

The country got a quick and dirty education about anthrax when the powdered letters started being delivered. Hopefully we won't all have to become experts on radiation poisoning anytime soon. I'm more worried about the terrorists releasing something like a mutated form of smallpox or plague, procured from the middle east or an old Soviet stockpile.

[Orangedog]

Looks like we pretty much own this thread! :)

[PoppingSmoke]

"The country got a quick and dirty education about anthrax when the powdered letters started being delivered. Hopefully we won't all have to become experts on radiation poisoning anytime soon. I'm more worried about the terrorists releasing something like a mutated form of smallpox or plague, procured from the middle east or an old Soviet stockpile."

People forget lessons when the bio-solid hits the fan. Unfortunately, I think one day the press will have every known and unknown talkng head doing a play by play. Fortunately we can deal with the problem. The chaos including the market? Thats soemthing else. The Bio stuff has me even more worried than the rad stuff to. We are not ready for it.

[mindprism.com]

I can think of far more efficient (and stealthier, and easier) ways of spreading radioactive material than 'blowing it up' into the air.

Sure, a bomb is dramatic in the terrorist sense, but a sinister, silent means would also rate high on the fear scale. Also, large effect is created by what you attach the terrorist act to, last time it was airlines, what if it were the food or water supply - something that cannot be avoided or patrolled effectively.