RDD attack could cost billions, research indicates

摘要

A new study suggests that the detonation of a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or "dirty bomb," in the downtown financial district of Los Angeles could have an ultimate cost far higher than many would have predicted. The study, Assessment of the Regional Economic Impacts of Catastrophic Events: CGE Analysis of Resource Loss and Behavioral Effects of an RDD Attack Scenario, indicates that while the initial economic consequences of such a terrorist incident-the physical damage and attendant business disruption-would likely result in over $1 billion in lost regional gross domestic product, nearly $16 billion could be lost over the course of the ensuing 10 years, largely because of the negative psychological impressions the incident would leave on the public.