On dirty bombs

[unixronin]

We are continually threatened by our government with the spectre of a terrorist "dirty bomb" using cobalt-60 or some comparable radionucleide.  However, an actual examination of the problem¹ reveals that to yield a actual significantly dangerous level of contamination over any significant area, such a "dirty bomb" would have to contain sufficient cobalt-60 that the terrorists constructing and deploying it would be dead within a few minutes in its proximity.  This poses, shall we say, logistical problems in gathering and assembling such a mass of radioactive material.

The conclusion from this appears to be that such a "dirty bomb" is, indeed, largely a pure terror weapon, to be feared primarily because ... well ... people are afraid of it.

Discuss.

Some references:

• ABC News on dirty bombs
• A reporter for the Guardian tries to learn how to build a dirty bomb

[1]  The actual article was in New Scientist, if memory serves, but I can't find it online, so wandering upstairs to find the issue and verify that is somewhat moot.

Comments

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Eh, there's a survivalist writer that had a pretty scary scenario. It was initiated by one man with a fixation, a watch a good note taker and marginally proficient at building small explosive devices. Planted and timed correctly they could scare enough people to provoke an extreme response even if no one was killed.

He's written several books. The factual ones are pretty good.

It's by Kurt Saxon and he is the author of The Weaponeer which is one of his fact based books. A lot of old drawings of weapons and such.

I think I got that story in a newsletter or off of the old Fidonet.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Yup ... frankly, most of these threats are really all about scaring people into a disproportionate reaction to what is, ultimately, a relatively trivial threat.

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

In such a hyper over driven environment as now I can see where Kurt's scenario would be highly effective.

I think if his had happened when the story was written we might be .. more robust at thwarting it without the lost of liberties.