ABC News World News Tonight (6:30 PM ET) March 6, 2002
Senate holds hearing about dirty bombs
PETER JENNINGS, anchor: On Capitol Hill today the Senate held a hearing about crude, radioactive weapons. The panel of government officials who work on nuclear issues said that a so-called dirty bomb may not cause mass destruction but would certainly cause enormous disruption in an American city. Here's ABC's Michele Norris. MICHELE NORRIS reporting: One of the scenarios described today, a terrorist moving through a crowded city dispersing low levels of radioactive material into the air.
Unidentified Man: The terrorist's greatest weapon is fear.
NORRIS: (VO) Nuclear experts explain that such an event would likely kill no one but potentially expose thousands to radiation and could produce mass hysteria.
Mr. STEVEN KOONIN (Provost California Institute of Technology): We're talking about a weapon of mass destruction more than destruction. These weapons are about terror. They're about psychological fear. And they're about economic disruption. They're not about casualties.
NORRIS: (VO) Most cities are not prepared to deal with the psychological and economic impact. Hospitals could be overrun with thousands of fearful patients, businesses shut down for months with billions in lost revenue. Today's panel warned that radioactive materials widely used for industrial purposes present more of a threat than actual nuclear weapons because they're easier to get. John Pike is a security analyst.
Mr. JOHN PIKE (Director, GlobalSecurity.org): When a terrorist is looking for a weapon that's relatively easy to obtain, that can have a big bang for the buck, a radiological weapon is going to be close to the top of the list.
NORRIS: Radioactive material is stored in thousands of hospitals, labs and factories across the country, often with few safeguards. Today's panel of nuclear experts told lawmakers that needs to change and soon. Michele Norris, ABC News, Washington.
Copyright 2002 ABC News
