Next to use in RDD’s, radioactive sources can be employed in other ways to harm people. A silent irradiator is a ‘weapon’ that emits radiation while concealed in order to irradiate either an individual, a specific group, or as many people as possible. This design has been called an radiation emitting device or RED. Because of the lack of an explosion or another indicator of danger, it could take a long time before a silent irradiator is discovered, by which time many people could have suffered harm.
Radiation poisoning by ingestion or inhalation is a 3rd possible malicious use of radioactive sources. The Litvinenko case is the most infamous example of radiation poisoning.
If actors acquire a significant radioactive source for use as an RDD or RED, depending on the shielding they can put in place and the time delay between acquisition and deployment it is very likely that group members will suffer radiation injury. This may deter groups not prepared to contemplate suicide attacks. In this respect the handling and storage of a radiological device in a ‘garage’ setting would tend to be much more dangerous to a small group than handling small amounts of biological or chemical agents, when a group with appropriate scientific skills and experience may well be able to work reasonably safely.
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