printable version - email this article ISRAELI EMBASSY IN NYC A RADIATION HOT SPOT

by x Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006 at 1:05 PM

Feds surveyed NYC for radiation, found tainted park, Embassy

WASHINGTON -- Anti-terrorism officials conducted a helicopter survey of

New York City's radiation sources in preparation for a so-called "dirty

bomb" attack - and discovered a Staten Island park with dangerously high

levels of radium, a new report found.



Federal authorities found 80 unexpected "hot spots" around New York

City, according to the Government Accountability Office, the

investigative arm of Congress.



The GAO report released Thursday details a previously undisclosed aerial

anti-terrorism program in New York City, one which may be extended to

other cities worried about the possible release of radioactive material

by terrorists.



The report does not identify which city park had the contaminated soil,

but NYPD officials said it was in Gateway National Park in Staten

Island. The site was closed, and New York has requested federal money to

do a citywide aerial survey every year to update the information.



By creating a map of the city's radiation sources, city officials hope

to be able to respond more quickly in the event of a dirty bomb attack,

know exactly which streets are contaminated and get civilians away.



New York is the first and only U.S. city to conduct a complete aerial

radiological survey, having paid the U.S. Department of Energy $800,000

for the 2005 study.



The helicopters picked up sources of low-level radiation from expected

places, like granite statues and medical isotopes at hospitals, but it

also found dozens of other sources of unexpected radioactivity, the GAO

report found.



"NYPD officials indicated that the survey was tremendously valuable

because it identified more than 80 locations with radiological sources

that required further investigation to determine their risk," the report

said.



At the Staten Island park, sensors detected large quantities of radium

in the soil. Long-term exposure to radium increases the risk of

developing lymphoma, bone cancer and leukemia.



National Park Service spokesman Brian Feeney said the area is a one-acre

piece of the 570-acre Great Kills Park, which is part of the larger

Gateway park.



Feeney said experts assured them after the August 2005 study that the

area posed no public health risk, and said visitors do not go into that

area anyway because of dense vegetation. He did not know if any warnings

had been placed around the site.



The radiation apparently comes from "some piece of industrial equipment,

pieces of old rusty metal. Whatever this equipment used to do, it picked

up radioactivity," he said.



"We keep people out of that area. It's a non-accessible area of the

park, no one can get in there," said Feeney. "There's no health hazard

now, there was never a health hazard to the public."



He said the agency has applied to the Department of Energy for funding

to further survey the site.



Staten Island's congressman, Rep. Vito Fossella, said the contamination

was a surprise to him and residents near the park, and he demanded more

information.



"It is essential for the government to act immediately to fully

understand the extent of the contamination," said Fossella, who was

trying to arrange a meeting Friday with federal and city officials to

discuss further testing and possible removal of the contaminated soil.



One alleged radiation hot spot on Manhattan's east side has the

potential for becoming a political hot spot: A strong radiation spike

from the area of the Israeli Embassy. Officials would not comment on why

they thought that particular area allegedly showed such a stunning peak

in radiation.



The aerial survey is designed to help local officials react more quickly

in the event of terrorists detonating a "dirty bomb" that releases

radioactive material into the air. With the survey, police may be able

to pinpoint the exact source of radiation by comparing new readings to

their pre-existing "radiation map" of the area.



NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the department wanted a record of the

city's naturally occurring and other "radiological signatures" to

compare with periodic readings it does to detect for dirty bombs or

other nuclear devices.



"It gives us a baseline so we can pick up any anomalies," he said.



New York City is the only major city to conduct a full-scale Aerial

Background Radiation Survey to identify "hot spots," though such work

has been done in the nation's capitol, according to the report.



The GAO found neither the Department of Energy nor the Department of

Homeland Security believe they are required to conduct such radiation

mapping, though the investigators said there were "significant benefits"

to surveys in other urban areas.



Homeland Security officials agreed that they should study the cost and

effectiveness of expanded radiation mapping in additional cities.



Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called the report further proof the

federal government is not doing enough to help cities guard against

terrorism.



The hot spot mapping initiative "should also be shared with cities

across the country, not mothballed because the Homeland Security

Department doesn't want to put up the money," Schumer said.



The GAO report also found the Department of Energy may need to beef up

security at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Andrews Air Force Base

in Maryland because those sites hold key national assets for responding

to a radiological or nuclear attack.



Specialized quick-response teams and equipment are concentrated at those

two sites, and a successful attack against either could leave one

section of the country with limited capacity to respond to a subsequent

strike with radioactive weapons, the GAO said.



The agency's associate administrator, Michael C. Kane, was adamant the

sites are safe.



"We categorically reject the contention that physical security at two of

our facilities may not be sufficient for protecting against terrorist

attacks," Kane wrote.>>







LATEST COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Listed below are the 10 latest comments of 28 posted about this article.

These comments are anonymously submitted by the website visitors.

TITLE AUTHOR DATE Its a truth optional world for some Tia Wednesday, Apr. 18, 2007 at 10:29 PM Thats because...fake article Thats because...fake article Monday, Apr. 16, 2007 at 4:14 PM The True Enemy Within laobao Friday, Apr. 13, 2007 at 10:06 AM Another forgery, indymedia style Tia Friday, Feb. 23, 2007 at 10:44 AM it endangers so much more fever Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007 at 6:47 PM Publish the map Rev Pope Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007 at 10:24 AM FumbDuck FumbDuck Friday, Feb. 09, 2007 at 7:43 PM How to verify Cole Dane Friday, Feb. 09, 2007 at 1:14 PM Yes Rasputin Thursday, Feb. 08, 2007 at 4:16 PM Nukes of Hazzard Jeh Thursday, Feb. 08, 2007 at 8:01 AM