Dirty Bomb
From ZombieSquadWiki
A dirty bomb, more accurately called a radiological dispersal device, uses traditional explosive to spread radioactive material. They are considered by many to be the most likely nuclear threat by terrorists. Their effects are very localized but the fear of the unknown short and long term effects of radiation by the public far outweighs the actual danger they pose.
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Understanding Dirty Bombs
Dirty bombs use traditional explosives such as C4, dynamite, or any number of homemade explosives to spread a radioactive material such as common industrial/medical isotopes or spent plutonium or uranium fuel throughout a given area. Dirty bombs are not fission weapons and they do not approach the magnitude of damage that a fission bomb can create. Dirty bombs are more useful as weapons of terror due to the psychological effects of being attacked by any radioactive weapon. However, dirty bombs, like other nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) and have serious consequences for their use.
Preparing for a Nuclear Attack
As long as you are not near ground-zero, dirty bombs are easily survivable. They do no more physical damage than a bomb of equal capability without radioactive dispersion. Simple preparations for NBC attack such as gas masks and respirators in your Bug-out bag or BOB are enough for most scenarios. Plans to shelter in place or bugging-in in cases of Dirty Bomb attack are the best option.
Food
While sheltering from fallout from a dirty bomb your food stores will be all you have since you will be unable to go outside until the radiation dissipates. After the radiation dissipates infrastructure may take a long time to recover. Even if you have your own plants and animals to eat if they were in the affected area they likely will be ordered destroyed by the government. Plants absorb radioactive fallout from the groundwater and animals ingest the contamination from such plants and contaminated water sources.
Water
All surface water will be contaminated by any fallout within the dispersal area. Note the direction of wind from the blast site and consider all surface water sources downwind to be affected. Tap water may or may not be affected depending on whether the source was in the dispersal area or not. The government will indicate which supplies are safe to use. Bottled or home stored water is safe to drink unless left out where radioactive particulants would come in direct contact with the bottles themselves. Even then rinsing off or in extreme cases wiping off the particulants would suffice to allow drinking the water.
Distance
The distance from the blast radius that may be affected by the fallout is dependent upon several variables such as blast size, the amount of nuclear material in the device, the amount and type of explosive used and the location of the dirty bomb. A small dirty bomb placed in a building might be contained entirely within the structure. A large truck bomb with tons of explosives and a large mass of radioactive material might spread fallout for miles on a windy day.
Insulative Mass
The amount of insulative mass between you and the blast itself will determine how much initial exposure to radioactivity you receive. Being inside a building with intact windows will offer full shelter from the initial exposure. So too will being outside on the far side of a building with its mass between you and the blast. Following the initial blast move indoors quickly to a structure that has shut down its ventilation to prevent fallout from being sucked inside. Since fission does not take place deep penetrating gamma radiation is not a factor to worry about. So hunkering down in a bomb shelter is not necessary.
Nuclear Attack Aftermath
If you were caught outside in the fallout or in the blast radius you are likely contaminated by radioactive material. If you survived the blast and the wounds that conventional weapons create then your chances for survival are high. Remember that you cannot eat or drink anything until you have been through a decomtamination shower. Fire department hazmat teams will be setting up such showers in public areas out of the fallout zone. Move to the shelter, disguarding everything you are wearing and be showered.
If you were wounded in the attack then conventional first aid treatment is required first before decontamination. Seek medical attention as soon as possible and announce that you were in the dirty bomb blast area so that you can be decontaminated and not just treated for your wounds.
If you were in a vehicle in the blast area or fallout area close all windows and turn on the heater to ensure that the vents are closed. Evacuated the area and seek decontamination. Do not go home without decontamination of yourself. Your vehicle, unless it was totally enclosed and intact, will likely be unsalvagable. A vehicle that has only exposed to fallout on the exterior may be decontaminated by hosing and scrubbing it but any water from washing will itself be a pollutant so this must be considered. Most likely the government will order contaminated vehicles to be destroyed.
The government and public is likely to overreact following a dirty bomb attack. Public fears of nuclear weapons is higher than the actual risks from a dirty bomb. Hence the government will overreact to placate those fears. Expect property in the blast area to be condemned rather than decontaminated though the latter is easily possible after two weeks time when most radioactive fallout becomes absorbed into background radiation. Do not expect compensation for your losses as insurance providers generally do not cover acts of terrorism or war such as dirty bombs.
