What is a “dirty bomb”?
A dirty bomb combines a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material. In most instances, the conventional explosive itself would be more lethal than the radioactive material. At the levels created by most probable sources, not enough radiation would be present in a dirty bomb to kill people or cause severe illness. About 100,000 patients a day are released from hospital treatments with this material in their bodies. However, certain other radioactive materials, dispersed in the air, could contaminate up to several city blocks, creating fear and possibly panic and requiring potentially costly cleanup.A dirty bomb is in no way similar to a nuclear weapon. The atomic explosions that occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were conventional nuclear weapons involving a fission reaction. A dirty bomb is designed to spread radioactive material and contaminate a small area. It does not include the fission products necessary to create a large blast like those seen in Hiroshima
A “dirty bomb”, or radiological dispersal device (RDD), is a conventional explosive that has been combined with some kind of radioactive material. The explosive is used as a way to spread particles of radioactive material as radioactive contamination. A dirty bomb is thousands of times less dangerous than a nuclear bomb, and any injuries would most likely be caused by the explosion itself, rather than from radiation exposure from the radioactive particles. If a dirty bomb is detonated, emergency response officials will care for the injured, control access to the area, and if necessary, ensure that anyone who may have been contaminated with radioactive particles is decontaminated. Unless it is accompanied by an injury, contamination on an individual is not expected to be a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment at a hospital or clinic. People’s fear of radiation will cause the greatest impact, with the most harm expected to be from injuries from the blast itself, and from costs
