CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- August 25, 2006

Over-the-counter medicine sales give early warning of pandemics, bioterrorism

“Self medicating with over-the-counter treatments by the public trying to treat cold and flu symptoms may be a key early warning indicator for biologically related illnesses .
Bracken Foster & Associates, LLC has recently been granted a United States Patent for their retail data biosurveillance solution offered through BioSentinel Solutions. The company says it may now play a major role in America's pandemic influenza and bioterrorism preparedness efforts. Current public health monitoring efforts focus largely on analyzing admissions activity at local emergency rooms and doctors' surgeries. While these efforts are important they may not provide adequate early warning. Research confirms that consumers self-medicate with OTC products long before seeing a doctor.” (Medical Technology Business Europe, 25Aug06) http://www.mtbeurope.info
/news/2006/608031.htm


Mailings contained cornstarch

“Health care facilities across Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio were put on alert Wednesday after thousands of mailings from a New York-based company were found to contain a suspicious white powder. The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains Township contacted emergency personnel about 8:30 a.m. Thursday after receiving envelopes that contained the substance. The state Department of Health has since determined the powder was not hazardous and most likely was cornstarch, spokesman Richard McGarvey said.” (The Times-Tribune [Scranton, PA], 25Aug06, Wade Malcolm)
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com
/site/news.cfm?newsid=17109384&
BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6

Soldiers hone response to civil emergencies

“The scenario could be one of your darkest nightmares: a madman driven by an anti-American zealotry has shattered the peace of a major U.S. city. His weapon of choice? An aerosolized form of Y. Pestis [Yersinia pestis] bacteria, better known in medieval times as plague, and he has let it loose on America. Welcome to Sudden Response 2006. At Fort Monroe, Va., Joint Task Force Civil Support is writing – and rewriting – the way the U.S. military responds to such dire circumstances. In the Joint Planning Group, procedures and lines of communication are plotted and established that will save lives if the scenarios ever become reality. Exercises such as Sudden Response 2006 allow the Department of Defense to determine how military elements function in civil emergencies, what resources can be used, what are distractions and what must be avoided.” (Army News Service, 23Aug06, SSG Andy Stephens)
http://www4.army.mil
/news/article.php?story=9445

Scientists seek answers blowing in the wind

“Aerobiology, or the study of the origins, effects and travels of biological particles in the air, is the focus of an international conference in Neuchtel this week. Scientists have gathered to discuss the wide-ranging implications of aerobiology, which extends far beyond pollen and hay fever. More recently, aerobiology has turned its sights on fighting crime and combating potential bioterrorism such as attacks using anthrax spores. ‘Methods for detecting a biological terrorist attack are much the same as the ones we used to detect the arrival of ragweed,’ said Bernard Clot of MeteoSwiss. ‘We detect changes in the composition of the air.’” (NZZ Online, 25Aug06) http://www.nzz.ch
/2006/08/25/eng/article6999476.html

Animal experts discuss veterinarian shortage

“Animal experts met to discuss a growing shortage of veterinarians Thursday night, and what can be done to alleviate the growing concern. Joe DiPietro, Dean of the Veterinarian School and the University of Tennessee, said there are 75,000 veterinarians nationwide. He said 28 colleges produce less than 3,000 new veterinarians every year. ‘There's a real concern that we will not be able to meet the needs not only in small communities but also public health activities they do like ensuring a safe food supply,’ he said. Animal experts at the meeting said the shortage goes far beyond caring for dogs and cats. The larger the animal, the smaller supply of people to care for those animals said many on the panel. With worries ranging for bioterrorism to Mad Cow Disease, state agricultural experts said the need for enhanced regulation is bound to expand.” (WBIR.com, 25Aug06, Dan Farkas)
http://www.wbir.com/news
/local/story.aspx?storyid=37252

Chairman Linder [of Homeland Security Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack] Holds Homeland Security Field Hearing

“On Thursday, August 24, Congressman John Linder (R-GA), Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack, held a field hearing entitled, ‘Agro-terrorism's Perfect Storm: Where Human and Animal Disease Collide,’ at the University of Georgia in Athens._ The Subcommittee hearing focused on the threat of zoonotic agents because these diseases that can be transmitted from animal to human are particularly relevant given the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. The purpose of the hearing was to increase awareness of the relationships between these diseases, bioterrorism and agro-terrorism, examining Federal prevention and preparedness strategies in this area, analyzing various agencies' approaches and priorities in combating agro-terrorism and the threats caused by these diseases.” (The Weekly, 24Aug06) http://www.theweekly.com
/news/2006/August/24/Linder.html

Pentagon agency OKs chemical demil funds

“A key Pentagon agency has recommended spending $1.5 billion over the next five years to destroy chemical weapons here and at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. While the move will commit the Defense Department to supporting the projects, it fell short of what the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative program wanted, according to John Klomp, chairman of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission.” (The Pueblo Chieftain, 25Aug06, John Norton)
http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1156513605/10

Army system completes latest Delaware deployment: Six World War I-era chemical munitions destroyed

“The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) completed the environmentally safe treatment of six mustard agent-filled chemical munitions here Wednesday. Using a transportable technology called the Explosive Destruction System (EDS), the agency’s Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) safely destroyed the World War I-era munitions. The items had been stored here in a secure area since recovered at a Delaware seafood processing plant earlier this year.” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, 23Aug06)
http://www.cma.army.mil
/docviewerframe.aspx?docid=003675919

Doomsday cult chemist appeals death sentence

“A chemist sentenced to death for leading a doomsday group's efforts to develop nerve gas used in a 1995 attack on the Tokyo subways that killed 12 people has lodged an appeal with Japan's top court, officials said Thursday. Masami Tsuchiya, convicted in 2004 of murder in the subway gassing and other attacks by the cult AUM Shinrikyo, lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court, according to a court official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol. The Tokyo High Court turned down Tshuchiya's appeal of the 2004 ruling earlier this month.” (msn News, 24Aug06, Mainichi Daily News) http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news
/20060824p2a00m0na023000c.html

First Responders Train For Terror Attack

“The Dayton Police Department is hosting a week long disaster training drill to insure all area departments are up to speed on the latest terror tactics. SWAT Teams shot down four terror suspects inside U.D. Arena Thursday, but they were not quick enough to stop a dirty bomb from exploding. Fortunately this scenario was just a drill, but officers said in real life, the arena would likely be filled to capacity, with many lives at stake.” (wdtn.com, 25Aug06, Mandi Sheridan) http://www.wdtn.com
/dsp_story.cfm?storyid=54373&RequestTimeout=500

[California State] Legislature passes resolution supporting veterans’ rights

“The California State Legislature passed with a unanimous vote a resolution authored by Sen. Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) supporting federal legislation known as the Veterans Right to Know Act. The federal legislation, authored by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, is currently under consideration by the House. SJR 23 expresses the support of the California State Legislature for establishing a federal commission to investigate a Vietnam-era U.S. Defense Department weapons research program known as Project 112/SHAD. Between 1962 and 1974, this program exposed nearly 6,000 unknowing American servicemembers to deadly chemical and biological agents, including: VX nerve gas, Sarin nerve gas, Tabun nerve gas, Q Fever and Tularemia. Many of the veterans exposed to these agents have since experienced serious medical problems.” (The Eureka Reporter, 24Aug06)
http://www.eurekareporter.com
/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14239

St. Johnsbury [Vermont] firm awarded $7M military contract

“Mobile Medical International of St. Johnsbury will receive a $7.1 million contract from the U.S. Army to further develop the company's advanced, deployable medical shelters for use in combat, the office of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., announced this week. Mobile Medical's 21st Century Military Hospital System protects both medical personnel and wounded soldiers from nuclear, biological and chemical agents, the company says. According to the company, the units are designed to allow medical teams in the field to choose a configuration that provides a variety of medical care, from triage and emergency room care, to diagnostics and treatment or laboratory functions. The self-contained units of the system integrate all primary systems needed to operate the facility, including power, lighting, medical gas and air filtration. The facilities can expand to support up to 500 beds in under 15 minutes.” (Rutland Herald, 24Aug06) http://www.rutlandherald.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824
/NEWS/608240339/1011/BUSINESS

Invention Targets Terrorist Weapons

“University of Wyoming researchers have developed and patented a technology that can rapidly detect explosives such as the liquid compounds that were part of a recently-thwarted plot to detonate bombs on as many as 10 U.S.-bound airliners. Pat Sullivan, a professor in the UW Department of Chemistry, is one of three scientists who received a patent for sensors that can be made to rapidly detect volatile chemical targets. ‘We have developed a portable, lightweight system that can detect explosives used in bombs, accelerants used in arsons, biological species used in biological weapons, if fact, it can be used to detect any compound for which an antibody can be made,’ says Sullivan, who holds the patent along with Lew Noe, UW professor emeritus of chemistry, and former UW Professor John Bowen, now on the faculty at the University of Central Oklahoma.‘Even more important, this technology can detect specific compounds in liquids and in air and could be applied to prevent terrorist acts.’”
(Newswise, 24Aug06)
http://www.newswise.com
/articles/view/523019/

Scant oversight of truck weight raises safety fear

“Every day, nearly half of the 2,500 trucks streaming out of the Port of Miami-Dade carry heavier loads than the law allows. Overweight trucks damage roads and can endanger motorists. But since 9/11, failures to stop and inspect the trucks also represent a weak link in the federal government's efforts to stop terrorists from smuggling a dirty bomb or other weapons inside cargo containers, experts say. The fear: A terrorist places a bomb or weapons inside a container after it has left the factory in another country. When it arrives at the port, no one notices it's heavier. And because of a lack of enforcement, it's allowed to leave with little or no examination.” (Miami Herald, 24Aug06, Steve Harrison)
http://www.miami.com/mld/
miamiherald/news/15347639.htm