Radiation and Terror

This paper is presented to examine certain radiological aspects of terrorism, and to demonstrate that the perception of any event, and the consequent reaction to that perception, is more important than the reality of the event. Radiation, as a terrorist weapon, has been considered for a number of years. A report from 1969 (classified for 15 years) examined radiation sickness or death caused by surreptitious administration of ionizing radiation to an individual [1]. It was initiated because of a suggestion that Alexander Dubcek, Czeckoslovak Communist Party Leader, had radiation sickness due to radiation exposure or consumption of radioisotopes during his August 1968 captivity in Moscow.