cities and port facilities, however, have installed radiation detectors to identify such
devices.
Apart from deaths caused by the explosion, the greatest impact from an RDD is
the costly cleanup and the lingering fear of reentering the exposed area or building.
Dirty bombs are primarily designed for fear and intimidation. An example of their
effectiveness is the rush of people who purchased potassium iodide (KI) after the early
reports of the potential use of dirty bombs in the United States. Unfortunately KI will
not protect from the effects of an RDD unless the device contains large quantities of iodine
isotopes. KI protects the thyroid gland from only radioactive iodine; it offers no protection
to other parts of the body or against other types