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Title: International Outdoor Experiments and Models for Outdoor Radiological Dispersal Devices

Journal Article · · Health Physics
 [1];  [1]
  1. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

With the advent of nuclear reactors and the technology to produce radioactive materials in large quantities, concern arose about the use of radioactivity as a poison in warfare, and hence, consideration was given to defensive measures (Smyth 1945). Approximately forty years later, the interest in the environmental- and health effects caused by a deliberate dispersal was renewed, but this time, from the perspective of a malevolent act of radiological terrorism in an urban area. For many years there has been international collaboration in scientific research to understand the range of effects that might result from a device that could be constructed by a sub-national group. In this paper, scientists from government laboratories in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States collectively have conducted a myriad of experiments to understand and detail the phenomenology of an explosive radiological dispersal device.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC00112704
OSTI ID:
1341521
Report Number(s):
BNL-112024-2016-JA; R&D Project: 10999
Journal Information:
Health Physics, Vol. 110, Issue 5; ISSN 0017-9078
Publisher:
Health Physics SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English