CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- August 4, 2006

Enzyme Structure Offers Smallpox Drug Target

“Researchers searching for ways to combat the highly contagious, often lethal smallpox virus have a powerful new tool: a detailed picture of the enzyme the pathogen uses to tightly wraps itself around smallpox DNA as it aids in the virus's mission to multiply maintain its DNA in a usable form. Researchers can now see exactly how the enzyme inside infected cells. Understanding this structure opens the way to developing the first drugs against smallpox, which, although eradicated worldwide, is still considered a potential bioterrorism threat.” (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 04Aug06) http://www.hhmi.org/news/vanduyne20060803.html

STATPack links St. Mary’s [Regional Medical Center] with labs across the state [Oklahoma]

“STATPack, which stands for Secure Telecommunications Application Terminal Package, was installed at St. Mary’s just days before…[a] malaria case presented. STATPack is a secure, Web-based network linking St. Mary’s and, when the system is fully installed, nine other labs in various parts of the state with Oklahoma State Department of Health. The system, purchased with funds from Health Resources and Services Administration, an arm of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was designed to help make clinical labs in Oklahoma better able to identify bioterrorism materials. The system involves a camera attached to a microscope and a digital Web cam mounted on a sealed Plexiglas box connected to a computer, which are linked directly to the state Health Department. The system will allow a microbiologist at St. Mary’s to send still photos or live video of suspicious samples to the state Health Department’s experts.”
(EnidNews.com, 03Aug06, Jeff Mullin)
http://www.enidnews.com
/localnews/local_story_215004215.html/resources_printstory

Flu-pandemic plans call for volunteers to assist professionals

“If an avian flu were to actually land in King County [Washington], it would trigger such a crisis that public-health officials would need help. So Wednesday, officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County announced the launch of the Public Health Reserve Corps, which they hope will be an army of volunteers, including health professionals and regular members of the public, who can respond not just to a flu pandemic but to bioterrorism attacks and other public-health emergencies. Volunteers would be trained and ready to work side by side with public-health officials. They could help dispense medication and vaccines, conduct health screenings and assessments, or detect and track disease outbreaks, among other duties.” (The Seattle Times, 03Aug06, Carol M. Ostrom)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003171501&zsection_id
=2002111777&slug=healthcorps03m&date=20060803

Judge orders further review of lab to study deadly germs

“A state judge has ordered further environmental review of Boston University Medical Center's construction of a high-security laboratory, where researchers would study the world's deadliest germs. In a decision made public today, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Ralph D. Gants found that earlier environmental assessments of the South End lab failed to adequately consider alternative sites or weigh worst-case scenarios for the release of highly contagious viruses or bacteria. Gants said that when the state Department of Environmental Affairs approved the earlier environmental review of the lab, that decision ‘lacked the necessary rational basis.’ The decision does not explicitly halt construction of the $178 million building, which began earlier this year on Albany Street.”
(The Boston Globe, 03Aug06, Stephen Smith) http://www.boston.com/news
/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/08/judge_orders_fu.html

New test toots out bioterror fakes—FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is developing a test to quickly identify substances used in bioterror hoaxes. The technology is known as mass spectrometry, and the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research is incorporating it into a low-cost test to quickly distinguish between faux bioterror agents and the real thing…”
(United Press International, 03Aug06)
http://www.upi.com/HealthBusiness
/view.php?StoryID=20060803-044257-3645r

New Air Sterilization Device Can Battle Hospital Infections

“An innovative University at Buffalo air sterilization technology that the U.S. Department of Defense is funding to protect troops on the battlefield soon may be protecting hospital patients from deadly infections, thanks to recent funding from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). The funding comes as hospital-acquired infections, many of which are becoming increasingly difficult to treat, are on the rise. The $674,900 grant from NYSTAR's Technology Transfer Investment Program will allow Buffalo BioBlower Technologies, the UB spin-off company that licensed the technology from UB, to develop a health-care prototype and take it into clinical trials. In tests funded by the Department of Defense and conducted last fall, the UB team has shown it can eradicate greater than 99.9999 percent of the spores of an anthrax surrogate in an airstream, according to the researchers.” (Infection Control Today, 03Aug06) http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com
/hotnews/68h38561693726.html#

Aldevron announces GIA [Genetic Immunisation and Antibody] facility expansion

“Aldevron has announced the expansion of its Genetic Immunisation and Antibody (GIA) facility to meet the increased demand of vaccine screening contracts. The demand has been highlighted by current events that have seen worldwide governments invest in 'biodefense' vaccines and drugs, designed to reduce the public health consequences of a bioterrorism attack.” (LabTechnologist.com, 03Aug06, Wai Lang Chu) http://www.labtechnologist.com
/news/ng.asp?n=69598-aldevron-immunisation-genetic-testing

NY [New York] Times receives second white powder envelope

“The New York Times said on Wednesday it had received a second envelope with a suspicious white powder and a stamp with a September 11 image, just weeks after a similar incident raised fears of an anthrax attack. The substance was discovered by a mail room worker on Tuesday and city authorities have determined that it was ‘nonhazardous,’ said Times spokeswoman Abbe Ruttenberg Serphos. The handwritten envelope was addressed to the newspaper, not an individual, had a postmark from St. Louis and no return address, Serphos said. It contained a blank piece of paper. On the back of the envelope was a stamp with an image of three city firefighters on September 11 raising a U.S. flag that read on the bottom, ‘Freedom is not Free,’ a Times security official said. On July 14, the Times received a letter containing a suspicious white powder and a copy of a June 28 editorial entitled ‘Patriotism and the Press’ with an ‘X’ marked through it. Field tests revealed that the powder was harmless, probably corn starch, according to a police statement.” (Reuters, 02Aug06, Torrye Jones)
http://today.reuters.com/news
/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-08-02T181633Z_01_N02303682_
RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-TIMES.xml&archived=False

Emergency Units Simulate Chemical Attack

“Marquette [Michigan] Emergency Response Agencies are making sure they're prepared for disasters including chemical terrorism. A training drill was held at the Superior Dome Wednesday. It simulated a Sarin nerve gas attack at an~NMU football game. The city police and fire departments, public safety and EMS, reacted like a crowd of 3,500 had been exposed to the deadly toxin [sic]. The practice~ensures a smooth response if the real thing ever occurs.” (WLUC-TV News, 03Aug06) http://www.wluctv6.com
/Global/story.asp?S=5234600&nav=81AX

British police officers cleared over terrorism-related shooting

“The officer who shot one of two brothers arrested during an anti-terrorism raid on an innocent Muslim family's house in London has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a police watchdog. The shooting was an ‘accident’ and no offence was committed, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has ruled. Police said at the time that they were prompted to act after receiving ‘credible’ intelligence that chemical weapons could be being manufactured there.” (Radio New Zealand, 04Aug06)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest
/200608041605/2a865d47

Inspectors complete work at site of razed nerve agent plant

“A multinational group that verifies chemical weapon sites are destroyed in compliance with an international treaty has finished its work at a razed plant where the U.S. Army produced its entire supply of deadly VX nerve agent. Between 1961 and 1968, the plant at the Newport Chemical Depot produced more than 4,400 tons of VX nerve agent - a single droplet of which can kill a human. The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention treaty requires that signing nations destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles and related equipment by 2012 - a process that's being overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a group based in The Hague, Netherlands. Now that those international inspectors have completed their work at the site of the old VX production plant, the project has been finished nearly a year ahead of schedule, said Doug Stroud, the depot's treaty compliance officer.” (The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, 02Aug06, AP) http://www.fortwayne.com/mld
/newssentinel/news/local/15182584.htm

Aussies tracking ‘dirty’ bombs

“Australian officials are playing a leading role in a global stocktake of radioactive materials that could be used by terrorists to build a ‘dirty’ nuclear bomb. Australian officials have been working for some time on the Group of Eight initiative to identify all the sources of radioactive material and come up with a strategy to secure it. A group of Australian officials met overseas counterparts in Tokyo two weeks ago to work through the practicalities of the initiative.” (The Australian, 04Aug06, Simon
Kearney)
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
/story/0,20867,20012791-31477,00.html

Realistic ER scenario to teach response for “dirty bombs”

“Next month the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) will be holding its 20th annual conference. One of the featured events will be a ‘live’ emergency response scenario designed to teach environmental, health and safety professionals and emergency response personnel how to handle the detonation of a ‘dirty’ bomb. The conference, entitled ‘The Wonderful World of Hazardous Materials Management: Expect the Unexpected’ will take place in Orlando on September 17 at a pass-only location within Universal Studios Theme Park.” (HazMat Management, 04Aug06)
http://hazmatmag.com/issues
/ISArticle.asp?id=58875&issue=08032006

Lawmakers may cut nuclear detection office funding

“In the web of agencies working to stop a nuclear weapon from creeping across the border or being carried off a ship at one of the nation's ports, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is somewhere near the center. As officials often put it, the office is in charge of developing a nuclear detection ‘architecture,’ -- essentially a strategy for global deployment of nuclear detectors -- but responsibility for implementing that plan sprawls across a network of government agencies, including the FBI and the Defense, Energy, Justice and State departments. However, some lawmakers have questioned the office's ability to coordinate the deployment of that plan. The Senate Appropriations Committee in June recommended withholding $80 million in "research, development and operations" from fiscal 2007 Homeland Security Department funding until an agreement is reached between all the agencies involved in nuclear detection regarding their responsibilities.” (GovExec.com; 03Aug06; Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire)
http://www.govexec.com
/story_page.cfm?articleid=34707&dcn=todaysnews

New weapons on tap in war on terrorism
“Some of the latest weapons in the war on terrorism were unveiled Wednesday at a Duluth company. Isonics Homeland Security & Defense Corp. demonstrated a pair of ‘sniffer’ devices — one hand-held, one meant for mounting in train and subway cars, buses and the like — that can detect in the air minuscule amounts of chemical toxins and both homemade or weapons-grade explosives. The programmable devices recognize up to 60 substances such as sarin nerve gas or mustard gas, even at low levels, said Dennis Koehler, Isonics' vice president of sales and marketing. Another Isonics partner, Colorado-based DualDraw, demonstrated large chemical- and explosive-detecting workstations meant for inspection points or mailrooms that can raise an alert to the presence of toxins [sic] such as anthrax within 15 seconds.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 03Aug06, John Ghirardini) http://www.ajc.com
/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/0803gwxdevice.html