A Study of Direct and Indirect Costs Resulting from a Radiological Attack by Terrorists
- Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc., Manassas, VA (United States)
An uncontrolled release of radioactivity caused by a terrorist attack is expected to result in an - incident of national significance - and have the potential consequence of a significant economic impact. The magnitude of the economic impact and the range of impacted entities are somewhat controversial. This paper will discuss the elements and methodology that comprise the buildup of an estimate for a specific critical infrastructure. The radiological attack event was studied by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to estimate the health and economic impacts of a radionuclide attack. The cost estimate was based on response actions outlined in the DHS National Response Plan and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Drinking Water Contamination Threats and Incidents. A response plan was developed to support the options for the estimate. Several response and cleanup options were evaluated to determine a range of potential costs. It is the breakdown of the cost elements and their relative size that is discussed in this paper. The first step in the estimating process was the development of the terrorist attack characteristics that were to be estimated. Example response timelines were developed to determine what immediate operational response actions are possible to mitigate the attack consequences. Based on the attack assumptions, costs were estimated for a number of response and remediation options that may be employed. Finally, each parameter was evaluated to account for the range of values possible and its effect on the total cost. Cost estimates were based on data from standard references, internet searches on specific subjects, and information from recent terrorist activities. These costs were broken down into Micro-economic Level Costs (primarily associated with Medical Treatment, Remediation, and Business Interruption) and Macroeconomic Level Costs (primarily associated with the value of life lost, security improvement, and property values losses). Macroeconomic level costs were included for the Lost Value of Life Compensation for victims at same rates as WTC and post incident security improvements detection capability requirements, similar to airline security improvement after 9/11. Micro-economic level costs included medical treatment, drinking water system remediation, and direct business losses. The significant conclusion from this study is that although all costs are high, macro-economic level costs outweighed the micro-economic level costs by about an order of magnitude. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21294771
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-07448; TRN: US10V0305040961
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'07: 2007 Waste Management Symposium - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 10 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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