The Bulletin's Frontrunner March 7, 2002
Experts Warn US Cities Not Prepared For Disruption Of Radiological Weapons
ABC News (3/6, story 6, Jennings) reports, "On Capitol Hill today, the Senate held a hearing about crude, radioactive weapons. The panel of government officials who work on nuclear issues said a so-called dirty bomb may not cause mass destruction but would certainly cause enormous disruption in an American city." ABC (Norris) adds, "One of the scenarios described today -- a terrorist moving through a crowded city dispersing low levels of radioactive material into the air. . Nuclear experts explained that such an event would likely kill no one, but potentially expose thousands to radiation and could produce mass hysteria." California Institute of Technology provost Steven Koonin was shown saying, "We are talking about a weapon of mass disruption, more than destruction. These weapons are not about terror. They are about psychological fear and they are about economic destruction. They are not about casualties." ABC adds, "Most cities are not prepared to deal with the psychological 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." Security analyst John Pike was shown saying, "When a terrorist is looking for a weapon that's relatively easy to obtain that could have a big bang for the buck, a radiological weapon is going to be at the top of the list." ABC adds, "Radioactive material is stored at thousands of hospitals and labs across the country, often with few safeguards. Today's panel warned Congress that needs to change, and soon."
The New York Times (3/7, Glanz, Revkin) reports, "Federal nuclear officials and executives in the sterilization industry said yesterday that it would be extraordinarily difficult for terrorists to steal and use the 18- inch-long rods, the most common radiation source in the industry. 'An individual physically handling an unshielded single source rod would receive a lethal (death within weeks) dose in about a minute, and an incapacitating dose (immediately deadly) in about 20 minutes,' said an e-mail statement from Neil A. Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which licenses businesses using the materials."
John Ashcroft, asked on Fox News "Hannity & Colmes" (3/6) how realistic is the threat of terrorists' exploding a nuclear weapon in a US city, said, "We don't discount the idea that our enemies are very, very interested in weapons of mass destruction. And so we're going to take whatever acts we can, whatever precautions we can to minimize that threat and risk. I'm not saying that's a specific threat to a specific target. But we know that, in our operation generally, we defend this country against risks and threats which aren't specific and aren't specifically targeted. We're now building a missile defense system. It's not because someone had said on certain, certain date we're going to send such and such a missile to hit such and such a city. But it's because we know that our enemies are interested in and have a capacity." Ashcroft added, "We know that [Al Qaeda] has had a great interest in weapons of mass destruction. And it's possible. that those weapons of mass destruction could be deployed in ways that would be very injurious to this culture."
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