Zeno
11-19-2003, 09:23 PM
I recently consulted my crystal ball and the future is foggy with uncertainty but through the cloudy haze I discerned that a "dirty bomb" would go off in the stadium (or parking lot) during the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena. Seems a very likely location. Anyway, to help prepare everyone for the "mysterious ways that Allah works" please attend to the following websites. They contain fundamental, accurate, and useful information that everyone should be familiar with. One site is from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) that also has many links to other useful sites. The first link is to an EPA page with a lot of information about radiation and radioactivity– read this one first, then go to the CDC website and browse though the different links that I will recommend.
First Link: About Radiation (http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/index.html)
Make sure to understand the differences between Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation and about exposure pathways.
The CDC web page is very good and under the heading “Information for the Public” you should click on the pages for “Dirty Bombs”, “Radiation Facts”, and “Shelter in place “. Also the page “Radioactive Isotopes” lists the most probable type of isotopes that may be used in a dirty bomb (there are more but these are the best candidates). This link provides more detailed information on each isotope in a question and answer format. It is very informative and useful. There are many other links to useful and related topics that are worth pursing if you desire to.
Seriously, radiation is a word that terrifies many people. Proper knowledge and information about radiation is needed to help everyone prepare for an event that will probably happen in the future. Most likely, terrorist organizations cannot get material that would produce high levels of radiation, but low-level radioactive material is easy to procure and although the radiation dose would be insignificant – it would probably cause undue panic, alarm, and hysteria in many people. The psychological damage would far exceed any physical harm (from the radiation – this would be different for the initial bomb blast obviously.)
Second Link: CDC (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/index.asp)
If you have trouble with some of the terminology there are related links to definitions and further explanations.
Public Service Announcement. Remaining informed is the first line of defense.
-Zeno
First Link: About Radiation (http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/index.html)
Make sure to understand the differences between Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation and about exposure pathways.
The CDC web page is very good and under the heading “Information for the Public” you should click on the pages for “Dirty Bombs”, “Radiation Facts”, and “Shelter in place “. Also the page “Radioactive Isotopes” lists the most probable type of isotopes that may be used in a dirty bomb (there are more but these are the best candidates). This link provides more detailed information on each isotope in a question and answer format. It is very informative and useful. There are many other links to useful and related topics that are worth pursing if you desire to.
Seriously, radiation is a word that terrifies many people. Proper knowledge and information about radiation is needed to help everyone prepare for an event that will probably happen in the future. Most likely, terrorist organizations cannot get material that would produce high levels of radiation, but low-level radioactive material is easy to procure and although the radiation dose would be insignificant – it would probably cause undue panic, alarm, and hysteria in many people. The psychological damage would far exceed any physical harm (from the radiation – this would be different for the initial bomb blast obviously.)
Second Link: CDC (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/index.asp)
If you have trouble with some of the terminology there are related links to definitions and further explanations.
Public Service Announcement. Remaining informed is the first line of defense.
-Zeno