On Thursday 9 August 2007 Professor Peter D. Zimmerman, Professor of Science and Security, Department of War Studies, King's College London, will lead a discussion meeting on "Beyond the Dirty Bomb: Re-thinking Radiological Terror" from 12.30-1.30pm.
Dr Zimmerman will preview an article he, Dr James M. Acton and Dr M. Brooke Rogers wrote for the upcoming issue of Survival, in which they explain that the threat of radiological terror is normally viewed in the context of the ‘dirty bomb’ – a device designed to spread radioactivity with conventional high explosive. Such devices are often called weapons of mass disruption because they are likely to result in small numbers of casualties but massive clean-up costs and considerable interference to everyday life. Inspired by the high-profile murder of Alexander Litvineko, authors suggest terrorists are likely to seek more effective ways of employing radiation as a weapon of terror. Ingestion, inhalation and immersion (I3) attacks, in which radiation doses are delivered internally or by direct contact with the skin, can credibly kill an order of magnitude more people than a dirty bomb, and are likely to incite considerably more fear among members of the public. However, the security of radioactive sources can be enhanced and the consequences of an attack mitigated.
Dr Zimmerman is Professor of Science and Security in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. He is a member of the governing board of the Council of the American Physical Society and a member of its Committee on International Scientific Affairs. Prior to joining the Department he worked as Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University; William C. Foster Fellow, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; Chief Scientist, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; the Science Adviser for Arms Control, U.S. Department of State; and Chief Scientist, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
This meeting will take place in the 4th Floor Meeting Room at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, London, WC2R 3DX. Sandwiches will be served
If you would like to attend, please reply to Kathleen James on Tel: 020 395 9109 or E-mail:
james@iiss.org
