In #America, a report reveals the ease of making a "dirty bomb" that kills hundreds #bitcoin #ukraine
A report issued by the American Accounting Chamber in the United States revealed that the average person can find materials that can be used to cause “hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in social and economic losses.”
According to NBC, the US Accountability Chamber, a congressional auditing agency, called on the agency responsible for controlling the distribution of radioactive materials to implement more stringent screening methods immediately.
In April 2019, FBI agents surrounded the home of Jared Atkins, in Phoenix, and after a two-hour standoff, the security services discovered three stolen radioactive devices, enough to make a deadly "dirty bomb", and Atkins was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. .
Now, according to the US Accountability Chamber, the attackers no longer need to steal the radioactive material, they can buy it.
dirty bomb
A dirty bomb, or radioactive bomb, is a bomb surrounded by radioactive materials that spread widely in the form of dust during the explosion, and therefore its explosion has a thermal and mechanical intensity similar to any other bomb except that it spreads radioactive elements in the surrounding area that will have long-term effects.
The main objective of a radioactive bomb is not to destroy but rather to pollute a geographical area and infect people at the site with radiation.
Ease of making a bomb
In an exclusive report for "NBC", the US Accountability Chamber concluded that current security measures do not provide sufficient protection against the purchase of high-risk radioactive materials. Using fake licenses, investigators were able to purchase these materials from two different US companies, enough to cause hundreds of deaths from evacuations and billions of dollars in social and economic damage.
"We've already learned that the threat of a 'dirty' bomb attack in the United States is real," said Representative Tom Malinowski, a New Jersey Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, which commissioned the report.
"There are actual terrorist groups, including neo-Nazi groups in the United States, trying to get a dirty bomb to launch real attacks against civilians," he said.
"Now the GAO tells us it's very easy for anyone to get the materials needed in the United States to make a dirty bomb," he added.
New actions
In a statement to NBC, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was taking action on the issues identified in the report, including prompt communication with manufacturers of radioactive materials and expediting rule change to better verify purchase licenses.
But she said the report's findings did not justify an emergency rule change.
The agency added that "imposing immediate security requirements would risk unintended effects on the important and safe medical, academic and industrial uses of these materials."
Radioactive materials are used across the United States for a variety of purposes, including helping to treat cancer and sterilizing foods and medical instruments. But because it can be used to make a dirty bomb that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates its sale and use.
No comments: