London, July 13: Police have issued a national alert after 30lb of depleted uranium was stolen in a raid on a radioactive waste processing firm in Essex, a leading London daily reported today. Though senior intelligence officials have played down the security implications of the theft, the first of its kind, nuclear experts say that if such a large quantity of uranium got into the wrong hands it could be used to make a terrorist "dirty bomb", said the report.
The alert was sent to all police forces in England and Wales last Monday after a van containing the uranium was stolen from the firm's depot on an industrial estate in purfleet. The vehicle had been left unlocked and the keys were in the ignition. Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch and special branch officers have been briefed on the theft. Special branch officers say it was captured by CCTV cameras.
The daily quoted Dr Frank Barnaby, a nuclear physicist, as saying that it could cause chemical and radiological damage if particles were inhaled. "Terrorists might want to use the material in a dirty bomb" he said. Depleted uranium is mildly radioactive in its solid form but only becomes a real danger when it is involved in a fire or explosion. Then it can cause damage to the liver, kidneys and lungs. It is a heavy substance, nearly twice as dense lead, and is commonly used on the tips of artillery shells to penetrate heavy armour. Bureau Report