Gordon Prather saw my previous blog entry and forwarded this column on the same subject. Prather notes that while “The scare-monger battle cry is that terrorists are planning to use various weapons of mass destruction on each and everyone of you.” this is a fraud, because
Contrary to what the scare-mongers have told you, an RDD (radiological dispersal device) is in no sense a weapon of mass destruction. A few people – including the terrorist – might be killed by the high explosive. But essentially no one would be killed on the spot – or die later – from radiation.
An RDD is not a nuke. It does not contain a critical mass of fissile material – such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239. Hence, no uncontrolled chain reaction – no nuclear explosion – is possible.
Prather notes that the spread of radiation is of little significance due to its inability to cause instantaneous death, and the fact the it can be detected and cleaned. This is very similar to Easterbrook’s explanation of the inefficiency of biological weapons (see previous entry). In other words, difficult to spread in dangerous concentrations, relatively easy to quarantine and clean up afterwards. Really, conventional explosives are much more efficient killers and spreaders of what terrorists like – Shock and Awe.