When the source was removed from its case, both men received full-body exposure to the penetrating radiation. The unit contained a heavily shielded caesium-137 radioactive source which produced high-intensity gamma radiation. In 1987 two men stole a teletherapy unit from an abandoned cancer clinic in Goiânia, Brazil, believing its parts might have scrap value. Wally Santana/AP/Press Association Images Alpha radiation is harmful only if inhaled or ingested, while other types – known as beta and gamma radiation – can penetrate and damage human tissue even if the material is external to the body.įukushima evacuee being screened for radioactive contamination. The danger posed by radioactive material depends on the means of exposure and type of radiation it produces. Radioactive materials produce ionising radiation which can destroy bodily tissues and create harmful mutations that lead to cancer. How dangerous is a dirty bomb?Īlthough dirty bombs do not produce catastrophic explosions they can nevertheless be deadly. But it did show that a dedicated group could build and use a dirty bomb. The episode was a terrorist publicity stunt – threatening to use unconventional weapons against Russian civilians. Basayev threatened to turn Moscow into “an eternal desert” unless his demands were met. Under the command of Shamil Basayev, a Chechen separatist leader, militants buried a dirty bomb in a Moscow park in 1995. Instead, conventional explosives are used to disperse radioactive material, contaminating an area with elements such as radioactive isotopes of cobalt, caesium or americium. These do not rely on complex nuclear reactions. Thermonuclear weapons, on the other hand, are too complex for terrorist groups to develop.Īn easier option for a terrorist group would be to build a dirty bomb or, technically, a radiological dispersal device. While highly engineered weapons need only a few kilograms of fissile material, a crude terrorist-built design would require far more. If they could it would be possible for them to build a fission device, although this does pose a huge technical challenge. There are no indications that a terrorist group has obtained any fissile material to date. These nuclei are forced together – undergoing nuclear fusion – releasing an even larger explosion. Thermonuclear weapons use a fission bomb to ignite special fuel, consisting of light hydrogen isotopes. When detonated, the atoms in the weapon’s core split and release huge amounts of energy – producing a nuclear explosion. Fission bombs are fuelled with fissile material such as uranium and plutonium. There are two types of actual nuclear weapon – fission and thermonuclear devices. Understanding the differences between these weapons and the damage they can cause can ground speculation in reality – and help us work out the most likely route a terrorist organisation such as Islamic State may take in the future. However, they are two distinct technologies. Nuclear weapons and dirty bombs are frequently mentioned in the same breath. The worrying news that individuals affiliated with the so-called Islamic State have undertaken hostile surveillance at a Belgian nuclear research facility has created growing speculation about the group’s nuclear ambitions.
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