Radiological Dispersion Devices Fact Sheet

Release Date: 02/10/03 00:00:00

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Press Secretary
February 10, 2003
For Immediate Release

Radiological dispersion devices (RDDs) are a combination of conventional explosives and radioactive material designed to scatter dangerous and sub-lethal amounts of radioactive material over a general area. Terrorist use of RDDs is considered far more likely than use of a nuclear device because they require very little technical knowledge to build and deploy compared to that of a nuclear device. RDDs also appeal to terrorists because certain radiological materials are used widely in medicine, agriculture, industry and research, and are much more readily available compared to weapons grade uranium or plutonium.

How to Prepare Yourself

Learn the warning signals and all sources of warning used in your community.
Assemble and maintain a disaster supply kit with food, water, medications, fuel and personal items adequate for up to 2 weeks. Keep a battery-powered radio with you to listen for official information.
Find out what public buildings in your community may have been designated as fallout shelters.
If you live in an apartment building or high-rise, talk to the manager about the safest place in the building for sheltering.
Learn about your community's evacuation plans.

What To Do Following an Explosion

Move away from the immediate area-at least several blocks from the explosion-and go inside. This will reduce exposure to any radioactive airborne dust.
Turn on local radio or TV channels for advisories from local emergency response and health authorities.
If facilities are available, remove clothes and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Saving contaminated clothing will allow testing for exposure without invasive sampling.
Take a shower to wash off dust and dirt. This will reduce total exposure.
If radioactive material was released, local news broadcasts will advise people where to report for radiation monitoring and blood tests to determine whether they were in fact exposed and what steps to take to protect their health.

Physical Impact

In most cases, any immediate deaths or serious injuries would likely result from the explosion itself, rather than from radiation exposure. It is unlikely that the radioactive material contained in a dirty bomb would result in direct deaths. A low-level exposure to radioactive contamination could slightly increase the long-term risk of cancer.

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.

Immediate Response

Because a "dirty bomb" explosion could expose people to loose radioactive material in the air, which could be inhaled, people are advised to quickly move away from the immediate area, at least several blocks from the explosion, and tune in to local radio or TV broadcasts for instructions from emergency officials.

Emergency response officials will arrange medical treatment for those injured by the blast, evacuating people from the area, decontaminating those who were contaminated, and assessing any internal or external exposures. It should be noted that the use of potassium iodide would not necessarily be protective in these cases because radioactive iodine is not necessarily the isotope that would be used in these devices. The affected area will be cordoned off from surrounding areas.

###

This page was last modified on 02/10/03 00:00:00