Canadians Tremble in Fear of Dirty Bomb Attack

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/7/10/95205.shtml?s=os

Canada Fears Dirty Bomb

A new study by the Canadian government predicts that the explosion of even a

small dirty bomb in downtown Toronto could result in a rush on the city's

medical facilities and an economic toll of more than $23 billion.

The disclosure comes just months after the Canadian Security Intelligence

Service said a dirty bomb assault in that country was "overdue."

The study explored the nightmare scenario involving the detonation of a

device containing a modest amount of americium-241, a plutonium byproduct,

The Canadian Press news agency reported, noting:

"The grim outline is not far-fetched. A database of lost and stolen

radioactive items compiled by The Canadian Press reveals that an industrial

gauge similar to the device in the study was snatched by thieves in Red

Deer, Alberta, in June 2003."

The device, which contains americium and is used in connection with oil

wells, was later recovered, but it was gone for five days before its owners

realized it had been taken.

The study also predicted that if a dirty bomb - radioactive material spread

using conventional explosives - instead contained a sizeable amount of

cesium-137, the results would be far worse, spreading radioactivity over an

area of nearly 100 square miles.

The aim of a dirty bomb is not so much to kill people but to create panic

and disruption, according to Tom Cousins of Defence Research and Development

Canada, which helped prepare the report. The radioactive contamination of

large areas would "feed on the people's fear of radiation," he said.

The study calculated that 10 percent of the people in the vicinity of a

dirty bomb explosion would seek medical attention, overwhelming the health

system, The Canadian Press reported.

In assessing the economic effects of a dirty bomb, the researchers

considered the costs of decontamination, damage to buildings, evacuation of

people, loss of productivity, medical treatment and reduced tourism revenue.

The economic toll of a cesium-137 detonation would be as much as $250

billion in Toronto and $80 billion in Vancouver, according to the study.

Canadians are taking the dirty bomb threat seriously. The Ottawa

International Airport has now been equipped with 25 detectors to sniff out

radioactive materials.

"You can't taste it, you can't smell it, there are no dogs that can find

it," said Chris Clarke of Mobile Detect, a firm working with the airport.

"You need to go in with detectors and find it."