In the USA a Congressional investigation into the possible government response to a 'dirty' bomb attack on a major American city has revealed the total inadequacy of similar arrangements in the UK, especially London which is a primary target.
The House Committee on Science & Technology is looking into procedures for assessing exposure to radio-active material following the possible terrorist explosion of a conventional bomb packed with radio-active material. This includes discovering which buildings would be safe to enter & when; assessing public health risks - who is affected, & how badly etc.
Congressman Brad Miller exposed the serious short-comings in the UK system which were revealed after the Polonium 210 poisoning & death of a Russian dissident in London.
Approximately 160 Americans may have been exposed to the same poison, out of which 31 asked to be tested & of those only about four showed minor evidence of contamination.
It was revealed that there was only one facility in the entire UK that could complete the required testing of US citizens & that could only handle a few cases each day.
The British government will NOT be pleased to know that our closest ally has exposed their inadequate planning to help Londoners to survive a 'dirty' bomb attack on their city.