Blast Injuries: Radiological Dispersal Devices and Radiation
Injury Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) or “dirty bombs”
consist of radioactive material combined with conventional
explosives. Their force is so powerful they can disperse such
material over an area as large as multiple city blocks. People
in the immediate area may be killed or injured initially from
the effects of the blast and not from radioactivity. RDDs are
primarily used to produce psychological rather than physical
harm by inducing panic and terror in the target population. The
clinical presentation of exposed casualties will mostly resemble
conventional injuries. This is because the clinical effects of
all but the most severe radiation exposures are delayed. A
survey conducted with specialized radiological equipment is the
only way to confirm the presence of radiation. If radioactive
material is used in a terrorist bombing, victims must be
assessed for both exposure and contamination. People exposed to
radiation can suffer radiation ill