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1 Introduction
Pages 15-28

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From page 15...
... , but a number of more recent incidents besides the Tokyo attack suggest that terrorists in the United States and abroad may be finding chemical and biological weapons increasingly attractive. In the United States, several members of a right-wing group called the Patriot's Council were convicted of acquiring the castor bean toxin ricin for use against local Minnesota officials in 1995.
From page 16...
... The rapid breakup of the Soviet Union was accompanied by well publicized concern about the security of its nuclear arsenal. Other "weapons of mass destruction," namely, chemical and biological agents, drew less attention, but the extent of the Soviet chemical arsenal and the large Soviet biological weapons program are cause for concern about sales to or theft by terrorist groups and rogue states.
From page 17...
... 104-201) authorized $100 million to establish a military rapid response unit; to implement programs providing advice, training, and loan of equipment to state and local emergency response agencies; and to provide assistance to major cities in establishing "medical strike teams." The Department of Defense (DoD)
From page 18...
... United States law assigns primary authority in this sphere to the states; the federal government provides assistance as required. This assistance is coordinated by the FEMA, relying on procedures of the Federal Response Plan developed by 27 federal departments and agencies for responding to disasters of all kinds (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1997~.
From page 19...
... collect and assess existing research, development, and technology information on detecting chemical and biological agents as well as methods for protecting and treating both the targets of attack and the responding health care providers, and (2) provide specific recommendations for priority research and development.
From page 20...
... The committee's recommendations therefore include a number of suggestions for operational research in addition to calls for more traditional product development. Chemical and Biological Agents Considered Many of the actions required for effective consequence management are agent-specific (antidotes, for example)
From page 21...
... ; the plant-derived toxin ricin; the fungal metabolite T-2 mycotoxin; and the infectious microorganisms causing anthrax, brucellosis, plague, Q-fever, tularemia, smallpox, viral encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fever. More comprehensive lists, including these chemical agents and the CDC list of restricted biological agents, are provided as Appendixes C and D respectively, to illustrate the breadth of the problem facing planners.
From page 22...
... Consequence management in these three general scenarios is obviously quite different, qualitatively and quantitatively: there will be no 911 call to which emergency personnel respond, indeed no site or identifiable event in the second scenario, so training and equipment for that scenario must be focused not on public safety personnel (fire and rescue, emergency medical services) but on hospitals, medical laboratories, and public health officials.
From page 23...
... Even here, much of what needs to be done to deal with possible terrorist incidents will be of benefit to the nation's health irrespective of actual attack. CURRENT CIVILIAN CAPABILITIES The committee's Interim Report (Committee on R&D Needs for Improving Civilian Medical Response to Chemical and Biological Terrorism Incidents, 1998)
From page 25...
... , specifically the Office of Emergency Preparedness. The DHHS National Counterterrorism Plan includes initiatives both to create or improve local capabilities and to enhance the existing National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
From page 26...
... In cases of suspected biological or chemical terrorism CDC itself can consult with experts at academic institutions and research institutes and several DoD medical research units specializing in biological or chemical defense: the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
From page 27...
... For both chemical and biological exposures however, there is an existing response framework within which modifications and enhancements specific to chemical and biological terrorism can be incorporated. An attack with chemical agents is similar to the hazardous materials incidents that metropolitan public safety personnel contend with regularly.
From page 28...
... For that reason, properly trained and organized Metropolitan Medical Strike Teams organized by local communities with Public Health Service funding may be the most useful federal help in managing the medical consequences of a chemical attack. Similar help from deployable military teams will be optimal only if intelligence allows for predeployment or the attack occurs near the team's home base.


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