Experts warn of easily made dirty bombs

London, Mar 6 (UNI) Leading experts have called for the establishment of a detailed inventory of nuclear materials as a matter of urgency due to fears that terrorists have obtained enough of the material to make ''dirty bombs.'' ''To reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism we need to increase our ability to detect and respond to the misuse of nuclear materials. This can help the international collection and sharing of information about nuclear materials,'' Daily Telegraph quoted Prof Cashmore of Oxford University as saying.

''If you have the materials, you could make a dirty bomb. If you didn't care that you need to target it accurately, or are willing to blow up yourself, then you could easily make a dirty nuclear weapon,'' he warned.

The report highlights the need for countries that have a nuclear power industry or nuclear weaponry to share technical data like types of nuclear fuel used or nuclear material for defence, so that if anything found in terrorist hands the original source can be easily traced.

''If a bomb made from a certain type of uranium or plutonium was detonated, knowing where that material was processed would enable authorities to trace it back to a specific country's industrial or defence facility,'' Prof Cashmore stated.

Consistent international materials databases, used alongside existing surveillance and intelligence, would improve the prevention of nuclear threats and to build international confidence in nuclear security.

UNI XC PD DB2007