The Economic Impact of a Radiological Dispersal Event

While it will not cause the devastation of a nuclear weapon, the radiological dispersal event (RDE) is particularly dangerous in that it has the potential to cause major economic disruptions. The purpose of this research was to develop a generalized methodology that can be used to assess economic impacts, resulting from a (RDE), occurring in any location and across any industry. Currently, there is no universal approach for measuring the costs or economic impacts on businesses, or a common framework for conducting an economic impact for a RDE. The objective of this research was to aid in the RDE response effort by providing government planners, officials, and key stakeholders with an (pre-RDE) economic assessment tool which can be used to quantify the economic impacts arising from a RDE, thereby facilitating the strategic decision making process. A random study site was selected to use as a practical application for the research methodology. Through the use of an economic input-output model, the research identified that the economic impacts to the study site's output totaled $1.2 billion, while impacts to labor income totaled $529.6 million. Overall, 21,374 jobs were affected due to the economic disruptions resulting from the RDE. The culmination of this effort was the development of a generalized, "off the shelf", economic impact assessment tool that can be used to estimate the financial impacts of a RDE, or any localized event which disrupts an economy.

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