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Safety and Health Topics |
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Dispersal Devices (RDD)/ Dirty Bombs |
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Radiological dispersal devices
(RDD), also known as "dirty bombs," consist of radioactive
material combined with conventional explosives. They are designed
to use explosive force to disperse the radioactive material
over a large area, such as multiple city-blocks. Around the
world, there are many sources of radioactive material that are
not secure or not accounted for. Rogue nations and/or terrorist
groups can obtain these materials for dirty bombs. These explosive
weapons may initially kill a few people in the immediate area
of the blast but are used primarily to produce psychological
rather than physical harm by inducing panic and terror in the
target population. Their use would also result in costly cleanup
for decontamination.
The following questions link to information relevant to radiological dispersal devices (RDD)/dirty
bombs.
OSHA Compliance
Standards
- General Industry (29
CFR 1910)
- Construction Industry (29 CFR
1926)
- 1926 Subpart
D, Occupational health and environmental
controls
- 1926.65,
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER).
Contains requirements
relating to ionizing radiation at hazardous waste sites.
Federal Register
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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Planning Guidance for Protection and Recovery Following
Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Device
(IND) Incidents.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Notice 45029-45048,
(2008, August 1), 187 KB
PDF, 20 pages.
Directives
Standard Interpretations
How will clean-up
workers be protected?
Related Safety and Health Topics Pages
What are dirty bombs and how are they hazardous?
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Fact Sheet on Dirty Bombs. US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), (2002,
July). Includes the following subsections: Background, Impact of a Dirty
Bomb, Sources of Nuclear Material, Control of Nuclear Material,
Increased Security of Nuclear Material, Response to a Dirty Bomb,
and Federal Role.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Dirty Bombs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Emergency Preparedness & Response.
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"Dirty Bombs" Much More Likely to Create Fear than Cause Cancer:
Radiation Effects from Such Devices Likely to Be too Low to Calculate,
Health Physicist Says. American Institute of Physics, (2002,
March 12). Discusses likelihood and severity of radiation-related
health effects following a "dirty bomb" incident.
How will workers in the surrounding
area be protected?
- Guidance for Protective Actions Following a
Radiological Terrorist Event. Health Physics Society (HPS), (2004,
January), 99 KB
PDF, 4 pages. A position statement from the Health Physics Society, a
nonprofit scientific professional organization whose mission is to promote the
practice of radiation safety.
- Background Information on "Guidance for Protective
Actions Following a Radiological Terrorist Event." (2004, January),
164 KB
PDF, 12 pages.
Provides background information on the position statement listed
above.
How will first responders be
protected?
-
Working Group on Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) Preparedness.
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Medical Preparedness and
Response Sub-Group, (2003, May 1). Medical treatment
of radiological casualties.
- Example Safety and Health Plans
-
Radiological Emergency Response Team. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Responds to emergencies involving
releases of radioactive materials from incidents at nuclear
power plants, to transportation accidents involving shipments
of radioactive materials, to deliberate acts of nuclear
terrorism.
- US Department of Defense (DoD)
- Survey instrumentation and personal monitoring
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Decontamination
- Medical Surveillance
- Key Elements of Preparing Emergency Responders for
Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism. National Council for Radiation Protection & Measurements (NCRP) Commentary 19,
(2005).
How will health care
workers be protected?
-
Medical Management of Radiological Casualties Handbook,
Second Edition. Military Medical
Operations Office, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute,
(2003, April). Also available as a 979 KB PDF,
168 pages.
A supplement to the Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course, offered by
the US Department of Defense for training health-care professionals
in the management of uncontrolled ionizing radiation exposure.
- Initial
Management of Irradiated or Radioactively Contaminated Personnel.
US Department of the Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, (2003,
September 26), 4 MB
PDF,
40 pages. Provides direction to the Medical Department, civilian
medical personnel of the naval services and Navy and Marine Corps
commands for the initial exposure assessment, management, and
treatment of individuals who are irradiated or externally or internally
radioactively contaminated.
What organizations and
authorities are involved in RDD response?
-
OSHA
-
Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC). US
Department of Energy (DOE). Gathers radiological information such as
plume and deposition predictions, air and ground concentrations,
exposure rates and dose projections, assurance of data quality,
and current meteorological conditions and weather forecasts. FRMAC
provides the results of the data collection, sample analysis,
evaluations, assessments, and interpretations to the key decision
makers in the affected areas of the emergency.
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US National
Response Team (NRT)
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Radiation Emergency Response. Prepares for and responds to
emergencies involving radioactive materials. In the event of a
radiological emergency, EPA's Radiological Emergency Response
Team (RERT) works with other federal agencies, state and local
governments, and international organizations to monitor,
contain, and clean up the release while protecting people and
the environment from harmful exposure to radiation.
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US Department of Justice (DoJ)
-
US Department of Defense (DOD)
- Local Government
What can be done to secure
radioactive materials?
- Summary
of Report on Protection Against Nuclear Terrorism. International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA),
(2001, November 30). Press release on the
state of security in various nuclear facilities. Indicates
that in many cases there is a need for improved protection
and control.
- Reducing
the Threat of Nuclear Theft and Sabotage. International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), 84 KB PDF,
18 pages. Recommends a range of specific steps
to upgrade security at individual facilities and strengthen national
and international standards.
- Inadequate
Control of World's Radioactive Sources. International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) Press Release, (2002). Discusses the availability
of the radioactive materials needed to build a "dirty bomb"
and the lack of control and monitoring programs for known radioactive
sources.
- Reducing the Nuclear Threat in the 21st
Century. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), (2001,
October 29), 42 KB
PDF, 8 pages. Discusses possible nuclear threats and measures
to prevent them.
- State and Federal Action is Needed for Better Control of
Orphan Sources. Health Physics Society (HPS), (2002, April), 110 KB
PDF, 2 pages. Provides recommendations regarding orphan
sources-radioactive sources that have escaped institutional control, such as,
sources that have been lost, stolen, or abandoned.
- Background Information on "State and Federal Action is
Needed for Better Control of Orphan Sources." Health Physics Society (HPS),
(2002, April), 193 KB
PDF, 6 pages.
- Professional Society of Radiation Specialists Supports
Radioactive Source Legislation. Health Physics Society (HPS), (2002), 96
KB
PDF, 2 pages. Presents the HPS position on proposed radioactive source
legislation.
- Guarding
Nuclear Reactors and Materials from Terrorists and Thieves.
Arms Control Association (ACA), (2001, October). Promotes more stringent physical protection standards
for nuclear materials.
Additional Information
-
Blast Injuries: Radiological Dispersal Devices and Radiation
Injury. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
(2008, September 24). Provides infromation on the following
topics: triage and staff protection, decontaminating the injured, diagnosis and treatment, and radiation-related illness/injury.
-
Prussian
Blue (ferric hexacyanoferrate (II)) for Treatment of Internal
Contamination with Thallium or Radioactive Cesium. US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER),
(2003, October 3). FDA Approves use
of Prussian Blue for Treatment of Internal Contamination with
Thallium or Radioactive Cesium.
- Radiological
Dispersal Devices: Assessing the Transnational Threat. National
Defense University (NDU), (1998, March). Examines threat and differentiates the physical from the psychological
impact on a targeted population.
- Dirty Bombs: Response
to a Threat. Federation of American Scientists (FAS), (2002,
April). Provides background, case studies, and recommendations
regarding dirty bombs.
- IAEA Action
Plan to combat nuclear terrorism. International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Introduces the IAEA action plan designed to upgrade
worldwide protection against acts of terrorism involving nuclear
and other radioactive materials. Also includes links
to other related information.
- Management of Terrorist Events Involving Radioactive Material. National Council for Radiation Protection & Measurements (NCRP)
Report No. 138, (2001).
Provides information and recommendations regarding the
radiological health and safety issues related to the threat of
terrorist activities involving radioactive material.
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Protecting people against radiation exposure in the event of a
radiological attack. International Commission on Radiological
Protection (ICRP), (2005).
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Protective Action Guides. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
- Manual of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions for
Nuclear Incidents. 400-R-92-001, (1991, July).
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