MANILA, Philippines — The powdered form of the depleted uranium recently confiscated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) may be used to create “dirty bombs,” the head of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said yesterday.
While the primary motive appears to be the fraudulent sale of the hazardous material as precious metal, PNRI director Carlo Arcilla said the powdered form of the substance can be a security issue if it falls into the hands of unscrupulous people.
“I’m not so much concerned about the solid depleted uranium, but the powder. Because the powder can be mixed with explosives to make a dirty bomb. That is a local security issue if it was sold to unscrupulous fronts,” Arcilla told “Storycon” on One News.
He said dirty bombs have a big difference from nuclear bombs, which require certain technology to be created.
“A dirty bomb is an ordinary explosive containing this powder… Unless you have a reactor, you cannot make a nuclear bomb,” he said.
Arcilla said dirty bombs pose an additional threat as targets may inhale the hazardous material, which can cause illnesses such as cancer.
“The radioactivity is not as high, but if you inhale it… the alpha emission will be in your body and that can cause cancer,” he said.
Arcilla, however, clarified that those who were arrested did not appear to be planning to make bombs out of the depleted uranium.
He cited their lack of “sophisticated” knowledge about the material, noting that one of the suspects even had the uranium analyzed in a laboratory.
“They’re trying to sell it as a precious metal such as platinum, if they can fool someone,” Arcilla said.
The NBI, alerted by the PNRI, arrested three people allegedly involved in the sale of 100 kilos of depleted uranium valued at P680 million.
Arcilla said it was the International Atomic Energy Agency that alerted the PNRI about the illegal sale of uranium, which he said could have come from another country.