3D representation of hotcell showing cell contents and detected radiation on walls
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A dirty bomb or radiological dispersal device is a radiological weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. The purpose of the weapon is to contaminate the area around the dispersal agent/conventional explosion with radioactive material, serving primarily as an area denial device against civilians. It is not to be confused with a nuclear explosion, such as a fission bomb, which produces blast effects far in excess of what is achievable by the use of conventional explosives. Unlike the cloud of radiation from a typical fission bomb, a dirty bomb's radiation can be dispersed only within a few hundred meters or a few miles of the explosion.
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Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a collection of health effects that are caused by being exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms can start within an hour of exposure, and can last for several months. Early symptoms are usually nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. In the following hours or weeks, initial symptoms may appear to improve, before the development of additional symptoms, after which either recovery or death follow.
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Cobalt-60 (60Co) is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. Deliberate industrial production depends on neutron activation of bulk samples of the monoisotopic and mononuclidic cobalt isotope 59
Co
. Measurable quantities are also produced as a by-product of typical nuclear power plant operation and may be detected externally when leaks occur. In the latter case the incidentally produced 60
Co
is largely the result of multiple stages of neutron activation of iron isotopes in the reactor's steel structures via the creation of its 59
Co
precursor. The simplest case of the latter would result from the activation of 58
Fe
. 60
Co
undergoes beta decay to the stable isotope nickel-60. The activated nickel nucleus emits two gamma rays with energies of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV, hence the overall equation of the nuclear reaction is: 59
27Co
+ n → 60
27Co
→ 60
28Ni
+ e− + 2 γ
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Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) are passive radiation detection devices used for the screening of individuals, vehicles, cargo or other vectors for detection of illicit sources such as at borders or secure facilities. Fear of terrorist attacks with radiological weapons spurred RPM deployment for cargo scanning since 9/11, particularly in the United States.
References
- ↑ Farfán, Eduardo B., Trevor Q. Foley, Timothy G. Jannik, John R. Gordon, Larry J. Harpring, Steven J. Stanley, Christopher J. Holmes, Mark Oldham and John Adamovics. 2009. "Testing of the RadBall Technology at Savannah River National Laboratory Savannah River National Laboratory report."
- ↑ Farfán, Eduardo B; Foley, Trevor Q; Jannik, G Timothy; Harpring, Larry J; Gordon, John R; Blessing, Ronald; Coleman, J Rusty; Holmes, Christopher J; Oldham, Mark; Adamovics, John; Stanley, Steven J (2010). "RadBall Technology Testing in the Savannah River Site's Health Physics Instrument Calibration Laboratory". Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 250 (1): 398–402. Bibcode:2010JPhCS.250a2080F. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/250/1/012080. PMC 3100551 . PMID 21617738.
- ↑ Farfán, Eduardo B; Foley, Trevor Q; Coleman, J Rusty; Jannik, G Timothy; Holmes, Christopher J; Oldham, Mark; Adamovics, John; Stanley, Steven J (2010). "RadBall Technology Testing and MCNP Modeling of the Tungsten Collimator". Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 250 (1): 403–407. Bibcode:2010JPhCS.250a2081F. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/250/1/012081. PMC 3100557 . PMID 21617740.
- ↑ Farfán, Eduardo B.; Stanley, Steven; Holmes, Christopher; Lennox, Kathryn; Oldham, Mark; Clift, Corey; Thomas, Andrew; Adamovics, John (2012). "Locating Radiation Hazards and Sources within Contaminated Areas by Implementing a Reverse Ray Tracing Technique in the RadBall Technology". Health Physics. 102 (2): 196–207. doi:10.1097/HP.0b013e3182348c0a. PMID 22217592. S2CID 38603574.
- ↑ SRNL and NNL Collaborate on RadBall Trials
- ↑ Farfán, Eduardo B.; Coleman, J. Rusty; Stanley, Steven; Adamovics, John; Oldham, Mark; Thomas, Andrew (2012). "Submerged RadBall Deployments in Hanford Site Hot Cells Containing 137CsCl Capsules". Health Physics. 103 (1): 100–6. doi:10.1097/HP.0b013e31824dada5. PMID 22647921. S2CID 24755090.
- ↑ Stanley, S J; Lennox, K; Farfán, E B; Coleman, J R; Adamovics, J; Thomas, A; Oldham, M (2012). "Locating, quantifying and characterising radiation hazards in contaminated nuclear facilities using a novel passive non-electrical polymer based radiation imaging device". Journal of Radiological Protection. 32 (2): 131–45. Bibcode:2012JRP....32..131S. doi:10.1088/0952-4746/32/2/131. PMID 22555190. S2CID 25624436.
