KEY POINTS:
It may be a remote possibility, but in the event of a radioactive terrorist-attack, New Zealand is prepared.
The Ministry of Health spent $18,170 in 2005 on developing a modelling programme to track radioactive material in the air.
The modelling system, part of an emergency response and preparedness programme, uses detailed information about weather patterns and expert knowledge about radioactive substances to predict where dangerous material would fall.
It was developed by a National Radiation Laboratory team (a specialist unit of the Ministry of Health). Group manager of NRL Jim Turnbull said the models provided detailed information on areas that would need to be checked for radioactive substances if a research lab containing the materials caught on fire or if a malicious act were committed. He said radioactive materials couldn't be seen, smelt or tasted, so the need for an accurate pinpointing system was very real.
"The most likely scenario - and I guess within the NZ context it's a pretty unlikely scenario - is some-body getting hold of a radioactive material... attaching some conven-tional explosives to it, and letting it off. That's called a dirty bomb."
The UN has said dirty bombs have been considered a likely threat since the 9/11 attacks.
