Any future act of nuclear terrorism could use crude weapons aimed more at spreading panic than causing physical harm, experts warned today.
"In some states where radioactive materials are not well regulated, they are potentially available," said Graham Andrew, scientific adviser at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In an interview with Reuterson the sidelines of an IAEA conference on nuclear terrorism, Mr Andrew said attackers could take radiotherapy or x-ray materials from hospitals to construct a crude bomb.
"While such a weapon might not wreak devastation, it would certainly spread panic. You're not going to get a large number of fatalities - the consequence is going to be more one of economic disruption and anxiety in the public," he said.
Often referred to as a dirty bomb , such a device could easily be built by surrounding a radioactive source with explosives and detonating it to spread radioactivity across a wide area.
"The potential for panic is quite large," Mr Andrew said. "Radioactivity is invisible, you can't see it or feel it. And you don't know what its impact
on your health in 10 years will be."