Science and Technology to Counter Terrorism Proceedings of an Indo-U.S. Workshop (2007) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
17 Can Science and Technology Help to Counter Terrorism?
17 Can Science and Technology Help to Counter Terrorism?
Pages 145-150
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 145... ...
Others invent new technology for countering disease, such as the mechanical stents now so widely applied or the imaging technology that permits the acquisition of information to guide treatment, without the cost and hazard of invasive surgery. At the same time, however, medical professionals put significant effort into repairing the damages of knife and gunshot wounds, preventable accidents, and the like.
|
From page 146... ...
Therefore, a balanced approach is desirable, countering threats that may not be evident or even imminent today, but that may well be the next resort of terrorists. Given this somewhat negative assessment of the problems in working to counter terrorism, I recognize that India, the United States, and many other countries have enormous human resources and that there will be plenty of people willing to work effectively to counter terrorism.
|
From page 147... ...
If it is cobalt-60, with a half-life of 5 years, even though a substantial fraction of the population exposed for 5 years could be at risk from cancer, controlled evacuation of the contaminated region within a few days or weeks would limit the hazard by a factor of 50 or more. This is consistent with the regulatory approach to environmental hazards such as arsenic and drinking water, for which the regulated limit in the United States is now 50 parts per billion (ppb)
|
From page 148... ...
Salmonella is a frequent cause of food poisoning in the United States and to a greater extent in other countries. Its cause is a common bacterium causing primarily illness and occasionally death.
|
From page 149... ...
Smallpox has a fortunate characteristic in that vaccination is effective during the first 4 days after exposure, or so it is thought. Therefore, it is possible in principle, with an appropriate distribution of vaccine and a few-minute course in vaccination techniques, for a few thousand workers throughout the United States to create 10,000 effective vaccinators in the first hour and many times that in the second hour, so that all reachable individuals could be vaccinated within a couple of days.
|
From page 150... ...
The Internet is an excellent distribution medium in the United States because it provides data on demand; following an alert, anyone with Internet access would be able to access and print the information relevant to their locality. In instances of biological terrorism, a radiological dispersal incident, or the release of toxic material, the channels for distribution of warning and action information to the public are not inherently affected.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.