(Video includes gamer ad)
A cobalt bomb increases the radioactive pollution of an area making the area contaminated for several generations. This type of bomb was mentioned in the movie "Planet of the Apes".
The only way to avoid such a bomb is for nations to reduce nuclear weapons and avoid the possibility of a nuclear war. The problem is, politicians and the military won't get rid of their weapons. And the deals they make with countries to reduce weapons is never trustworthy. They want the "other country" to disarm themselves while they themselves keep dangerous weapons in hiding.

The recent trend the past few decades is for countries to develop nukes that have lower radiation, so they can invade a nation as soon as possible and then utilize that land and factories. For instance, the neutron bomb kills human and animals in an instant flash from overhead, but leaves the buildings intact.
Ask yourself this, what guarantee does a nation have that an enemy nation or terrorist will use a "humane" nuclear weapon? Will an enemy nation or terrorist abide by some fabricated rules of war and not build the most destructive weapons possible? It would be naïve to think an enemy would abide by some set of rules.

The Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) program may have worked between the Soviet Union and the US during the cold war, but it will not work with rogue nations and groups like Muslim radicals. You can throw out the rule book when dealing with irrational terrorists that operate by unbridled hatred and religious fervor. This illustrates why it is so important to get control of the materials used in making weapons of mass destruction, and stop rogue nations and groups from developing such weapons that will kill billions on a whim. George Eaton