A Publication of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy National Defense University Dirty Bombs : The Threat Revisited

By Zimmerman, D.

Book Id: WPLBN0000704438
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 0.7 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	A Publication of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy National Defense University Dirty Bombs : The Threat Revisited
Author:	Zimmerman, D.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Literature, Asian literature, Writing.
Collections:	Asian Literature Collection, e-Asia Digital Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	University of Oregon Libraries; E-Asia Digital Library


Citation APA MLA Chicago Zimmerman, B. D. (n.d.). A Publication of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy National Defense University Dirty Bombs : The Threat Revisited. Retrieved from https://self.gutenberg.org/

Excerpt
Excerpt: Overview; Nuclear radiation, invisible and detectable only with special instruments, has the power to terrify--in part because of its association with nuclear weapons--and to become an instrument of terrorists. Radioactive isotopes can be spread widely with or without high explosives by a radiological dispersion device (R.D.D.) or so-called dirty bomb. This paper provides a general overview of the nature of R.D.D.s and sources of material for them and estimates the effects of an assault, including casualties and economic consequences. Many experts believe that an R.D.D. is an economic weapon capable of inflicting devastating damage on the United States. This paper is in full agreement with that assessment and makes some quantitative estimates of the magnitude of economic disruption that can be produced by various levels of attack. It is also generally believed that even a very large R.D.D. is unlikely to cause many human casualties, either immediately or over the long term.