In the United States, commercial users lose about one radioactive source a day through theft, accidents or poor paperwork, reports the International Herald Tribune. Many of these losses are in quantities large enough to create an I-cube attack.Most analysts believe that about 10 people would die from radiation poisoning after a dirty bomb attack. Others believe that the only people likely to receive a lethal dose of radiation from a dirty bomb would already be dead from the blast. An I-cube attack, on the other hand, would be almost certain to kill hundreds.
“I-cube” stands for ingestion, inhalation or immersion of radioactive material. Ingestion can be achieved by contaminating food sources. An inhalation attack would use radioisotopes that can be burned, vaporized or aerosolized, and in a confined space could contaminate the air and be inhaled. An immersion attack, which would drench victims with a radioactive solution, could kill with only a small fraction of a teaspoon. Just a few drops of contaminated water on the mouth are enough to cause radiation poisoning.
For more on this story click on:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/01/opinion/edzimmer.php
Defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism is one of the topics covered in Security Management Stage 2. The session is delivered by Phil Wood MBE CPP, a former military CBRN subject matter expert. The next Security Management Stage 2 course takes place 15-26 October 2007.
