Terrorists use common industrial chemicals to create improvised explosives, incendiaries, and toxic agents. Common chemicals are attractive because military agents or biologics are more difficult or dangerous to manufacture, access, or disperse. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry maintains a Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system in 16 participating states to collect information on acute releases of hazardous chemicals and subsequent public health outcomes. This presentation will demonstrate how HSEES data can be used for counter-terrorism efforts. A baseline of common chemical-release patterns can be developed to share with state and local emergency planners to determine areas with high potential for chemical terrorism. This baseline data also can be useful in detecting unusual occurrences that could signal a terrorist event. HSEES also has the ability to identify the chemicals that are causing serious injury so that these chemicals can be monitored more closely. Lastly, HSEES can assess the preparedness of responding agencies. The key to counter-terrorism is extensive planning and preparation on the federal, state, and local level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides funding to states and local agencies to plan and prepare for bioterrorism attacks. Biological terrorism is the main focus of this preparedness effort, but chemical terrorism also is included. The ramifications of chemical terrorism, given the relative ease of access to industrial chemicals and the lack of preparation by appropriate agencies, are formidable. Hence, greater emphasis should be placed on planned response to threats of chemical terrorism.
Learning Objectives: As a result of this session participants will be able to: 1) List at least five chemicals that are of concern in chemical terrorism. 2) Describe a plan for preparing for chemical terrorism.
Keywords: Surveillance, Bioterrorism
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.