Abstract
People generally associate fear with “nuclear”, “radioactive” and “insects”. It is speculated that a release of radioactive living insects would instill more fear into the general public than a “traditional” style radiological dispersion device (RDD). This paper evaluates the potential threat of an insect-based RDD using experimental data. The results of this project found that insect-based RDDs are an insignificant threat due to the challenges in making insects radioactive enough to pose any danger to humans without killing the insects.
Highlights
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes and attacked predetermined targets in the United States
It is speculated that a release of radioactive living insects would instill more fear into the general public than a “traditional” style radiological dispersion device (RDD)
This paper evaluates the potential threat of an insect-based RDD using experimental data
Summary
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes and attacked predetermined targets in the United States. One potential production pathway would be to irradiate insects with neutrons. This method’s principle challenge is to expose the insects to optimal levels of neutron radiation—i.e., to yield enough radioactivity for each insect to be viable as an RDD without killing the insects by exposing them to too much radiation. Wharton at the Quartermaster Research and Engineering Command irradiated various groups of American cockroaches with a 2-MeV electron accelerator. Their results showed that the radiosensitivity of the roaches was influenced by both the age and gender of the specimens, with older and male cockroaches being more radiosensitive. For doses in the 100 to 300 kR range, there will be clustering of deaths within a one-week period [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
