dirty bomb

dirty bomb, explosive device designed to scatter radioactive material, hence the adjective dirty. Unlike an atomic bomb’s explosive power, which comes from a nuclear chain reaction, the explosive energy of the dirty bomb comes from ordinary conventional explosives such as dynamite or TNT. When the dirty bomb detonates, it scatters radioactive material that has been placed in close proximity to the explosives. The dirty bomb is easier and cheaper to build than a nuclear weapon....