Technically known as radiological dispersion devices, dirty bombs are relatively primitive, imprecise weapons. They are much easier and cheaper to build than a nuclear device and also far less dangerous.
Dirty bombs use conventional explosives, such as dynamite, placed alongside radioactive material, which is then flung outward by the force of the blast. The amount of radioactive material dispersed, while dangerous, is not necessarily lethal.
"A dirty bomb is really easy to make," says Scott Roecker, vice president for the nuclear materials security program at The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit based in Washington. "It’s a crude device." A key factor is the amount and type of conventional explosives that are used, which determine the magnitude of the blast.
The radioactive dust and smoke can spread far and are dangerous if inhaled near the blast’s epicenter. The radioactive cloud would likely spread over several blocks, according to Roecker. But as radioactive material spreads through the atmosphere, it becomes less concentrated and less harmful.
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