Open AccessFirst Responder Safety in the Event of a Dirty Bomb Detonation in Urban Environment
Author(s) -
Sergio Biancotto,
Andrea Malizia,
Gian Marco Contessa,
Marco D’Arienzo,
Mauro Mattavelli Solbiati
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of safety and security engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2041-904X
pISSN - 2041-9031
DOI - 10.18280/ijsse.110410
Subject(s) - detonation , radiological weapon , radionuclide , environmental science , population , respirator , radioactive waste , radiation protection , contamination , waste management , nuclear engineering , environmental health , medical emergency , nuclear medicine , explosive material , medicine , engineering , materials science , surgery , geography , physics , nuclear physics , ecology , archaeology , composite material , biology
The malevolent dispersion of radioactive material, with the aim of contaminating people and the environment, is considered a credible terroristic threat. This article analyzes a hypothetical Dirty Bomb detonation in an urban area, estimating the radiological consequences to the involved population and to first responders. The dispersion of radioactive material is simulated using the HOTSPOT code, considering the explosion of devices containing (alternatively) 60Co, 137Cs, 192Ir, 238Pu or 241Am sources, frequently used in medical or industrial settings. Each source is evaluated separately. The resulting ground deposition is used to calculate the effective dose received by first responders in two different scenarios. Based on the dispersed radionuclide, the influence of the use of personal protective respirators is analyzed. Confirming previous published results, this article illustrates that the radioactive material is diluted by the detonation, resulting in relatively low doses to the general public. However, the emergency workers’ stay time in the most contaminated area must be carefully planned, in order to limit the received dose. Due to the general fear of radiation, extensive psychological effects are expected in the public, irrespective of the evaluated radiation dose.