Be prepared: Dirty bomb? Stay calm (Part 2)

U P I ^

[Dallas]

Prior planning, along with increasing your understanding of radiation and its effects, are the best ways to prepare for and react to a terrorist incident involving radiological materials, specialists in the field told United Press International.

An attack involving radiation would take one of two forms, experts said. The deadliest would be a true nuclear weapon, which if detonated would generate enough energy to vaporize its immediate surroundings and severely damage structures thousands of feet away.

Creating such a weapon challenges the resources of a sovereign nation, let alone a terrorist group, but the effects of even a partially successful nuclear detonation, or "fizzle," would be serious.

A report from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements warns a fizzled nuke would be worse than the blast that shattered the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 1995. A nuclear blast also would generate large amounts of radioactive dirt and debris, called fallout, which would spread contamination downwind from the blast for tens or hundreds of miles.

The second and far less dangerous method of attack involves scattering quantities of actual nuclear elements. Terrorists could achieve this either by using a radiological dispersal device or RDD -- also called a "dirty bomb" -- or by attacking nuclear reactors or sites associated with nuclear fuel.

The result would be very similar to fallout, but on a much smaller scale. This attack method also poses technical and health risks for potential assailants. Nevertheless, it is considered more likely than a nuclear detonation.

Americans who lived during the 1950s probably have retained some idea of how they were told to survive a nuclear weapon attack. Chances are, they recall the Cold War's civil defense legacy of ideas such as a fallout shelter, said P. Andrew Karan, radiation safety officer at the University of Rochester in New York and director of external education for the Health Physics Society.

"The biggest difference from 'duck and cover' and all that we used to do is first, there probably would be no or very little warning, so there might not be time to go to the fallout shelters beforehand," Karan told UPI. "Second, on the positive side, any sort of attack like that is probably going to be a lot more limited in scope ... we won't have to worry about 25 or 30 or 100 cities getting hit all at once."

The fireball and huge mushroom cloud of a nuclear blast are difficult to mistake for a conventional explosion. For one thing, the fireball's intense flash can blind anyone looking at it and the thermal radiation could cause burns far from ground zero. An attack on a reactor site would be self-evident and nuclear power plants have existing plans, such as warning sirens, to alert nearby populations of any problem.

In the case of an RDD or radioactive material left in the open, people most likely would be alerted to the situation by official messages via radio or television stations, several experts said. According to the NCRPM report, indications at the site of such a release could be more subtle, including:

-- An open container, perhaps unusually heavy due to lead shielding, with the universal yellow-and-black symbol for radiation;

-- Strange-looking debris after an explosion, such as metallic or lead fragments or metal rods and ceramic pellets from spent nuclear fuel, or;

-- Excessive heat or glowing debris in the absence of fire.

The rules for preparing for a nuclear incident are simple, Karan said: Store supplies of canned food, bottled water, a battery-operated radio and a first aid kit, then educate yourself on what is possible before proceeding further.

"As much as people in the smaller towns and cities might think otherwise, they're probably unlikely targets," Karan said. "Taking it a little bit further, if people live 10 or 20 miles out of town, especially if they're upwind with the prevailing winds, again they probably don't have to worry too much."

Building a bomb shelter probably is an excessive move, he said, because such a structure requires a lot of engineering.

"If someone's really determined to build one, they should make sure that it's properly braced, that it's ventilated," Karan said. "Then maybe they could turn it into a playroom for the kids or a home office or something, because there's a 99.99 percent chance they'll never use the thing."

Because the aftermath of any attack involving nuclear material would create fallout, the same advice applies in all cases, Karan said, although atomic blast survivors would need immediate medical care. Another important difference is the use of potassium iodide, also called KI, a chemical pill that has become a hot seller due to "dirty bomb" fears.

"In case of a nuclear weapon, there will be a lot of radioactive iodine produced, and that's what potassium iodide will block," Karan said. "On the other hand, if there's a dirty bomb, chances are iodine won't be involved, so KI won't do a thing to it. People should not look at it as a panacea and say, 'It doesn't matter what happens, I'm just popping these couple of pills and I'll be set.'"

Other medications, such as sulfhydril compounds, can reduce the impact of radiation from non-iodine fallout, the NCRPM report said. One such drug is approved for protecting some kinds of healthy tissue from cancer treatments involving radiation. The very real possibility of side effects, however, means only medical personnel should deal with these drugs.

Apart from pills, protecting yourself from fallout involves getting inside a structurally sound building and preventing contaminated air from entering, Karan said. This includes closing openings such as windows, doors and chimney flues. Air conditioner window units should be removed and central heating systems should be set to recirculate instead of drawing in outside air, and cracks can be sealed with duct tape if desired.

Everyone caught outside during an attack should remove their clothes and personal items such as jewelry. These items should be bagged for later expert examination, the NCPRM report recommends. Victims should be cleaned off gently, removing any dust or debris while avoiding scrubbing that could drive contamination into the skin. Lukewarm water should be used because excessive heat or cold could lead to more persistent contamination, the report said.

"What people should forget about doing is rushing out to buy Geiger counters, because unless they know how to interpret the results; all it's going to do is click at them, and they won't know if they should be alarmed or amused," Karan said. "The last thing they want to do is get in a car and try to drive away, because the roads are going to be a whole lot more dangerous than staying at home."

The NCPRM gives similar advice. Vehicles basically are transparent to the radiation coming from fallout, especially debris thrown back into the air by a car's passage.

Another important course of action is tuning in to radio or TV reports and official instructions, said Air Force Lt. Col. Fred Hoon, commander of the Colorado National Guard's 8th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in Aurora.

"It's almost like any emergency, the first thing is for people to remain calm," Hoon told UPI. "Right behind that is to pretty much follow common-sense dictates. If the police ask you to stay in your homes, obviously do that, and if they say we have to evacuate you, then the best thing is to evacuate with them."

Teams such as Hoon's are trained to examine an incident site and determine actual contamination levels, but people should not assume the worst if they see such teams at work, he said. Many fears concerning radiation are based on the pure fiction of Hollywood, he said.

"'The Sum of All Fears' would be the worst possible case, but if you see us walking around in moon suits, you haven't experienced that," Hoon said. "Your house is still intact, you're still breathing and you have all your senses; the reality is you're probably near the other end of the spectrum ... there are things we can do to reduce the risk of contamination and life will go on."

For more about radiation safety and health, contact the Health Physics Society at hps.org or hps1.org.

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[JudyB1938]

Like a dummy, I didn't bookmark but the first two articles you posted. I can't find them in a search. My DIL in Baton Rouge is really concerned. They are on alert due to the chemical plants down there. Will you please give me the links to parts #3 and #4? Thanks.