Physicians say U.S. is not ready for nuclear attack

The U.S. is unprepared for a terrorist attack using nuclear devices, says a report by Physicians for Social Responsibility, released last week. The study modeled three hypothetical terrorist attacks: a 12.5-kiloton nuclear weapons blast in New York City, an attack on a nuclear power plant near Chicago, and a dirty bomb detonated in Washington, D.C. The report states that the government is ill-prepared to evacuate or shelter affected residents, lacks a plan to decide what must be done if an attack occurs, has no plan to communicate information to individuals, and cannot care for the tens or hundreds of thousands of people who would be injured. It urges that the Department of Homeland Security institute a system to address planning, organization, and communication for a terrorist attack using nuclear material. It also recognizes the inherent difficulties in evacuating these cities or protecting their residents and urges that the U.S. and other nations do more to protect and isolate nuclear power plants and materials needed for a terrorist attack. The report is available at www.psr.org.