Last week there was a flurry of stories about the discovery of uranium in a shipment of scrap metal. In a highly speculative story British tabloid, The Sun mentioned that the uranium could be used to make a “dirty bomb.” Just how dangerous was the illicit uranium?
dirty bomb
Introduction
Of all the possible types of terrorist attacks, those involving radioactivity are among the most feared. One type of attack that involves radioactivity is the use of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or dirty bomb. Misconceptions about dirty bombs may lead people to be more anxious than the facts justify and might even prompt some people to take inappropriate actions in the event of a dirty bomb explosion.