Dirty bomb

A dirty bomb, also known as a radiological dispersal device (RDD) is a radioactive explosive weapon. It is designed to spread radioactive material to a large area.

Unlike a nuclear bomb, a dirty bomb is an ordinary bomb which has been modified to carry also radioactive material, such as nuclear waste. The idea is that when the bomb explodes, the radioactive material, 'dirt', spreads as gas, dust, and particles all around the place, contaminating it, and making it unusable for agriculture, living in, or using it for military purposes. Hence the name 'dirty bomb'.

A dirty bomb would have very little military value except perhaps area denial, but it would cause panic and economical chaos. It is considered a potential terrorist device.

No dirty bombs have ever been used in anger, but the Goiania incident in Brazil, where metal thieves had broken into a clinic, broken up a cancer treatment device, and stolen radioactive cesium chloride, resembled the outcome of a dirty bomb.