The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, discounted Naryshkin's suggestion, saying all movements of nuclear material had been fully accounted for. Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, did not provide documentary evidence to back his assertions. nuclear watchdog and the European Union would look into Ukrainian nuclear activity that he said might signal Kyiv was working on a "dirty bomb". Contaminated homes, businesses and public services could be placed off-limits for months and require an expensive clean-up operation.June 19 (Reuters) - One of Russia's top spymasters said on Monday he hoped that the U.N.
Specialised equipment is required to detect radiation. Key factors in radiation exposure are what type of radiation it is, how long someone is exposed to it, and whether the radiation was absorbed through the skin, inhaled or consumed orally. But as radioactive material spreads through the atmosphere, it becomes less concentrated and therefore less harmful. The radioactive cloud would probably spread over several blocks, according to Roecker. The radioactive dust and smoke can spread far and are dangerous if inhaled near the blast. When you’re trying to scare people, intimidate people, you’d use a weapon like this,” he said. Its main impact is psychological, which is why such devices are often referred to as “weapons of mass disruption”.ĭirty bombs are not for battlefield use, being deployed more obviously in urban areas, Roecker said. People may not know whether they have been exposed because radiation cannot be seen, smelled or tasted.
Low levels of radiation exposure usually do not cause any symptoms. Most dirty bombs would not discharge enough radiation to cause death or even severe illness. A potentially wide area could be contaminated. The quantity and type of radioactive materials released are other factors, as are weather conditions – especially the wind – at the time of the blast. The number of casualties and the extent of damage from a dirty bomb depends on many variables.Ī key factor is the amount and type of conventional explosives that are used, which determine the magnitude of the blast.
“It’s a crude device.” What damage can a dirty bomb do?
“A dirty bomb is really easy to make,” says Scott Roecker, vice-president for the nuclear materials security program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit based in Washington. The material used in the bomb could have been obtained from radioactive sources used in medicine and industry or from research facilities. The amount of radioactive material dispersed, while dangerous, is not necessarily lethal. They are much easier and cheaper to build than a nuclear device and also far less dangerous.ĭirty bombs use conventional explosives, such as dynamite, placed alongside radioactive material, which is then flung outward by the force of the blast. Technically known as radiological dispersion devices, dirty bombs are relatively primitive, imprecise weapons. Although no dirty bomb attack has ever been recorded, two failed attempts to detonate such a device were reported in the southern Russian province of Chechnya more than two decades ago.
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