Truck Carrying Medical Radioactive Material Stolen in Mexico, Could Be Used to Build "Dirty Bomb" Says IAEA

Cobalt-60

The U.N. nuclear agency warned that a truck carrying an extremely dangerous radioactive substance  stolen in Mexico could be used to build a "dirty bomb," a popular tool for terrorists.

The International Atomic Energy Agency asid the truck was carrying "cobalt-60," used for radiotherapy treatment to combat cancer. An agency statement Wednesday said the truck was stolen Monday while taking the material to a radioactive waste storage center from the northern city of Tijuana.

Comments

[zedman9991]

"... used to build a "dirty bomb," a popular tool for terrorists." GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE TV reporters and deal with reality (24 is not reality). I expected better from Reason.

[Will Nonya]

So how popular is this type of weapon? how often are they detonated?

Isn't it true that this is (as seen in Wikipedia):
"a speculative radiological weapon...unlikely to cause many deaths ...Its purpose would presumably be to create psychological, not physical, harm through ignorance, mass panic, and terror"?

It seems that the real dirty bomb is more likely to take the form of articles like this one and that the theft is more likely related to the black market than terrorism.