Bill Clinton: “I rise to discuss the Dirty Bomb Prevention Act of 2005, which I am introducing today in the Senate, and Congressman…”

“I rise to discuss the Dirty Bomb Prevention Act of 2005, which I am introducing today in the Senate, and Congressman Markey is introducing in the House. Since September 11, we have increased our focus on dirty bombs, and rightly so. Most Americans are not aware of how common this radioactive material is in our country. Often we think of warheads or rods used in nuclear reactors. However, we use less radioactive materials in positive ways in our hospitals, research laboratories, food irradiation plants, oil drilling facilities, airport runway lighting, and even in smoke detectors. And although these materials have beneficial uses, the fact is that some of them, in the hands of a terrorist, could be used to make a dirty bomb that could be used to contaminate a wide area in New York City or in many other places across the country. According to the Federation of American Scientists, ``material that could easily be lost or stolen from U.S. research institutions and commercial sites could contaminate tens of city blocks at a level that would require prompt evacuation . . . Areas as large as tens of square miles could be contaminated at levels that exceed recommended civilian exposure limits. `` Even if such contamination caused by a dirty bomb did not pose severe health threats, efforts to determine the extent of contamination and clean it up would be both expensive and disruptive. And we know that radiation sources are numerous in the United States.…”