Colombia last month accused FARC rebels of planning to make a "dirty bomb" with radioactive material, threatening the entire Latin American region. The charges by Vice-President Francisco Santos, at the United Nations-sponsored Conference on Disarmament, marked a dramatic turn in a regional crisis that has seen Venezuela and Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Colombia.The US DNS warns that use of a dirty bomb could result in radioactive contamination of several city blocks to an entire city. The extent of the contamination depends upon a number of factors including the size of the explosive, the amount and type of radioactive material used, and weather conditions. Cleanup of the contamination could cost millions of dollars and take weeks to months to complete.
If you have facilities in a major built-up area in which the threat of terrorist is assessed to exist, this should be a scenario envisaged in your business continuity plan.
ARC’s Phil Wood MBE is both a specialist in both business continuity planning and chemical, biological and radiological weapons defence, and would be happy to provide expert advice in updating your plans accordingly. Click here to contact Phil.
Click here for the DHS factsheet.
