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ASPH Environmental Health Conference

• Bioterrorism Defensive Strategies to
  Terrorist-Initiated Releases
• Vaughn E. Wagner, PhD, BCE, ME
• Salisbury University
• September 9, 2002
• University of Pittsburgh

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Overall Goals

• To give students from various disciplines a
  working concept of Integrated Emergency
  Management to terrorist-initiated releases
  relating to chemical and biological agents.
• To stress the importance of a integrated team
  approach as opposed to a single response by a
  single agency (or discipline)

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Student Profile

• Class size approximately 50
• Upper division undergraduates consisting of
  environmental health, biology, media/theatre
  arts, nursing, psychology, and government majors
  
• Community participation A fire service HazMat
  team County Health department representatives.

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Objectives

• Achieve a basic understanding of environmental
  toxicology, microbiology, and dispersion dynamics
  when dealing with intentional release of
  chemical and bioagents
• Become familiar with natural and man-made
  sources of agents utilized by terrorist groups.
• Understand the concept of warfare agents and
  their peacetime equivalents
• Become familiar with integrated response by
  federal, state, and local agencies to agent
  releases

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Objectives (cont)

• Gain a basic understanding of government policy
  issues, agency coordination and field operations
  as they pertain to event management
• Learn enough to give an oral presentation and
  written report utilizing a specific discipline
  while managing a terrorist-initiated event
• Identify and explain how a specific discipline is
  integrated into the whole management process

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The Text
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The Topics

• Introduction to chemical bioagents Peace time
  equivalent concept
• Federal role in bioterrorism
• Chemical Bioagents Low-tech Formulation Ready
  accessibility
• Local law Enforcement
• Terrorism Public Policy

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Topics (cont)

• Federal Response FEMA
• Media/Public Information Terrorism
• Fire Service Incident Command System
• Federal Response CDC
• Critical Incident Stress Management

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Outside Speakers

• Week 2 Robert Scripp, FBI Counter Terrorism
• Week 5 Col Joseph Bolesta (Ret) City of
  Baltimore Police Dept.
• Week 6 Larry Hogan, Text Editor
• Week 7 Stephen Sharro, FEMA
• Week 11 Kent Grey, CDC
• Week 13 Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell, Critical
  Incident Stress Management

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Scenario-driven Instructor Input

• The instructor will give the class a simulated
  release scenario relating to a specific bioagent
  utilized by a fictitious terrorist group. The
  release will involve specific community targets,
  exposure pathways, delivery systems, sensitive
  target groups, and response agencies .

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Scenario-driven Student Outputs

• Written Report
• The Student will select a specific discipline
  group to use while demonstrating an integrated
  management approach.
• Groups include law enforcement, government,
  public health, fire service, media, and critical
  incident stress management

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Scenario-driven Student Outputs

• Oral Presentation
• The student, as a part of an identified group,
  will give an oral presentation dealing with the
  integrated group response to a terrorist attack.
  
• Presentations must include integration of local
  expertise, state and federal agencies, and
  private industry resources

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Course Grading

• Final Exam 25 of Final Grade
• Written Report 50 of Final Grade
• Oral Presentation 25 of Final Grade

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Goal Student Awareness of Planning Issues
Unique to Terrorism
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Specific Course Content

• Chemical agents
• Biological Agents
• Choices
• Technical Considerations

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Specific Chemical Bioterrorism Objectives

• Identify potential threats, consequences, and
  vulnerabilities resulting from CW or BW agents
  exposure
• Understand basic environmental, human, and CW/BW
  agent factors affecting degree of
  toxicity/infectivity in a human host
• Possess a basic understanding of environmental
  health principles related to toxicology and
  microbiology

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Criteria for CW and BW Agents

• CW/BW agents used in medical, industrial or
  university research.
• CW agents currently manufactured and having
  peacetime equivalent use.
• CW/BW agents readily available or requiring
  low-tech formulation or ready
  accessibility

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Classification of Chemical Agents (US Military)

• Blood
• Blister agents
• Choking agents/lacrimators
• Nerve agents

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Biological Toxins

• Toxalbumin Sources
• Castor Bean Plant
• Oleander
• Black Locust
• Microbial Sources
• Botulism
• Fungal Sources
• Aspergillus spp.
• Fusarium spp.
• Penicillium spp.

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Critical Biological AgentsCategory A

• Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax)
• Yersinia pestis (Plague)
• Franciscella tularensis (Tularemia)
• Clostridium botulinum toxin
• Variola major (Smallpox)
• Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

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Health Determinants
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Examples of Peacetime Equivalents

• Aerosol development and dissemination
• Production of chemical/biological agents for
  agricultural pest and disease vector control
• Class III pathogen shipment via common carrier

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Micron Size is Important

• .

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Anthrax Spore
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Penicillium spp.
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Bioaerosol Generation
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Microscopic View of OP Formulated Aerosols
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Classification of Chemical Agents (US Military)

• Blood
• Blister agents
• Choking agents/lacrimators
• Nerve agents
• Riot control agents

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CW Blood Agents

• Possess a cyanide (CN-) functional group
  inhibits cellular respiration
• (H2S, alkylthiols have similar health
  effects)
• Wartime
• Delivered via artillery shells during WWI
• Peacetime
• Hydrogen cyanide/cyanide salts - common
  industrial uses thiols - natural gas markers,
  H2S - sour gas wells

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Chemical Blister Agents

• Vesicants
• Wartime
• Sulfur mustard agent delivery system during WWI
  was primarily an artillery shell
• Lewisite arsine type compound, also poisons
  specific cellular enzyme systems.
• Peacetime
• Mustard gas used in science and medicine.
• Arsine used in industry and agriculture
  (Herbicides)

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Exposure Risk

• Public Exposure - via accidental release
• Military Exposure - combat soldiers and workers
  involved in storage, transport or shipment

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Chemical Choking Agents/Lacrimators

• Wartime
• WWI agents (chlorine, phosgene) delivered through
  artillery shells, mortar projectiles, and metal
  canisters.
• Peacetime
• Chlorine widely used in manufacturing and as
  disinfectants.
• Phosgene used in manufacture of organic
  chemicals.
• Both are thermal decomposition products resulting
  from the fire/explosion of chlorinated
  hydrocarbons

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Clinical Effects Hydrochloric Acid
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Chemical Nerve Agents

• Wartime
• WWII Tabun stockpiled by Germans Sarin and
  Soman in experimental stage
• Peacetime
• Third generation Organophosphates (OPs)
  biodegradable pesticides
• OPs readily accessible

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Emergency Management
Sarin Gas attack on Tokyo Subway in 1995 by the
Aum Shinrikyo Cult. This attack killed 12 and
injured 5,500.
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Nerve Gas Surrogates

• Pest and Disease Vector Control

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Optimum Micron Size
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Organophosphate EC Formulation
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More Efficient Delivery System
Hand-Held ULV Unit
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Truck- Mounted Dispersion Systems
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Aerial Crop Duster Aerosols
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Helicopter Application BT Granular Formulation
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Biological Toxins

• Toxalbumin Sources
• Castor Bean Plant
• Oleander
• Black Locust
• Microbial Sources
• Botulism
• Fungal Sources
• Aspergillus spp.
• Fusarium spp.
• Penicillium spp.

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Castor Beans
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Ricin A B Chain
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Intentional and Accidental Exposure

• Ricinis communis
• Platinum pellet containing extract used against
  Bulgarian defector (1978).
• Family of four chewed a total of 23 castor beans
  nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration
  followed.

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Ricin Production (Extracted from TOMES CPSTM )

• Low-tech Production extraction from pressed
  seeds with 10 solution of sodium chloride
  precipitation with magnesium sulfate
• Commercial formulation is used as a mole killer.
• Waste from the production of castor oil is
  approximately 3-5.

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Class III Pathogen Shipments
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Status for Type III Pathogenic OrganismShipments

• FedEx has no plans for irradiation and remains a
  viable option for bioagent shipments.
• USPS is installing linear electron accelerators
  for irradiation of mail.
• Smithsonian Institution recommends that any/all
  biological shipments be sent via FedEx to avoid
  destruction by irradiation process.

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In Summary

• Agent
• Target
• Delivery System

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Terrorist-Initiated Event Agents, Targets
Delivery Systems

• Chemical Agent
• Agent Pesticides/Toxins
• Target
• Assembly of People/ Accessible Food Displays
• Delivery System
• Crop Duster/Hand-held
• ULV Spray System (Retrofitted)/HVAC

• Biological Agent
• Agent Biological
• Target
• Stadium/Mall/Subway/
• Food Handling Area
• Delivery System
• Back-Pack/ULV Unit
• Helicopter/Granular Application/HVAC