Transcript Slide 1

Weapons of Mass
Destruction
&
Bioterrorism
Ronald R. Blanck, D.O.
LTG, USA (Retired)
President
University of North Texas Health Science Center
WMD & BIOTERRORISM
DUCT TAPE
STOCKPILING
ANTIBIOTICS
GAS MASKS
MAJOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE
“…any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas,
bomb, grenade, rocket having propellant
charge more than four ounces, missile having
an explosive charge of more than one quarter
ounce, mine or device similar to the
above…poison gas…disease
organism…radiation.”
“…any weapon or device that is intended, or
has the capability, to cause death or serious
bodily injury…through the release
of…poisonous chemicals…disease…or
radiation….”
WMD :
Significant casualties from terrorist use of:
 Nuclear Device
 Chemical Device
● Tabun (GA)
● Sarin (GB)
● Soman (GD)
 Biological Device
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Botulism Toxin
Anthrax
Plague
Ricin
 Large Conventional
Explosive Device
Terrorism Is…
“Warfare deliberately waged
against civilians with the purpose
of destroying their will to support
either leaders or policies that the
agents of such violence find
objectionable.”
Lessons of Terror
- Caleb Cobb
KILL ONE
FRIGHTEN 10,000
-- Tom Clancy
The Sum of All Fears
Presidential Decision Directive 39
U.S. Policy on Counterterrorism
June 21, 1995
PRESIDENT
HOMELAND DEFENSE
Governor Tom Ridge
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
Coordination of Federal Agencies
FEMA
FBI
INCIDENT
FEDERAL
CONTINGENCY PLANS
RESPONSE PLAN
Crisis Management
Consequence Management
Definitions
● Crisis Management
- Measures to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a
terrorist threat or incident
● Primary Responsibility: Federal Government
● Lead Federal Agency: FBI
● Consequence Management
- Measures to alleviate the damage, loss, hardship, or
suffering caused by incident
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Primary Responsibility: State/Local Government
Lead Federal Agency: FEMA, coordinating Federal
Consequence Management support to the state
Programs
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Domestic Preparedness
- Interagency effort directed by Congress
- AKA: Nunn-Lugar Domenici City Training
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Consequence Management Program
- DoD efforts directed by SECDEF (DRID #25)
- Improve DoD support for response to WMD attacks
- Integrate National Guard and Reserve components
Purpose of Nunn-LugarDomenici
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To enhance the capability of the Federal
Government to prevent and respond to terrorist
incidents involving weapons of mass destruction
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To provide enhanced support to improve the
capabilities of state and local emergency
response agencies to prevent and respond to such
incidents at both the national and local levels
Domestic Emergency Continuum
Probability
Most Likely
Least Likely
-- IND
Greatest
IBD -ICD -IED --
Impact
Civil Disturbance --
HURRICANE
WMD
HAZMAT -Severe T-Storm -Civil Demo --
MAJOR
FLOODING
-- Aircraft Accident
STATE & LOCAL
FEDERAL
Tiered Disaster/Emergency Response
Federal Response
State Response
Local Response
Incident Commander
● Full response requires local, state, and federal assets
● State response includes National Guard
● Military support requires Total Force involvement
Overall
Plans
Logistics
Information
Equipment
Comm.
Command
Scenario
Capacity
Federal WMD Response Assessment
Radiological Threat
(Plutonium)
Summary: Terrorists place a radiation Dispersal Device which distributes plutonium over a populated area.
Nuclear Explosion Threat
(Uranium)
Summary: An improvised nuclear device (1.5KT) is exploded at midday in the vicinity of a state capitol building.
Biological Agent Threat
(Anthrax)
Summary: 100 grams of anthrax released into the air distribution system at a major airport.
Chemical Nerve Agent
Threat (GB)
Summary: 10 Gallons of Sarin is released on a busy morning in trash canisters at 5 Subway stations in a major city.
Chemical Nerve Agent
Threat (VX) (Persistent)
Summary: M23 Land mines (.8lb) placed in suitcases at major airport and exploded at midday
It’s not IF, It’s WHEN and WHERE?
* Bottom Line - we are not ready!
Biological Warfare
The intentional use of
microorganisms or toxins
derived from living organisms
to produce death or disease in
humans, animals, or plants
Biological Warfare History
● 14th Century: plague at Kaffa
● 18th Century: smallpox blankets
● 1943: USA program established
● 1953: Defensive program established
● 1969: Offensive program disestablished
● 1979: Sverdlovsk Anthrax incident
● SE Asia: Yellow Rain
● London, Virginia: Ricin
BW Agreements
● 1925 Geneva Protocol
● 1969 Nixon renounces BW
● 1972 Biological Weapons Convention
● 1975 Geneva Conventions Ratified
Biological Weapons Policy
● No use under any circumstance
● Research limited to defensive measures
● We possess NO weaponized biologicals
● Previous weapons stocks destroyed
● Destruction supervised:
- USDA
- DNR of AR, CO, MD
- Dept of HEW
Destroyed U.S. Biological
Warfare Agents
● Lethal
- B. anthracis
- Botulinum toxins
- F. tularensis
● Anticrop
- wheat stem rust
- rye stem rust
- rice blast
● Incapacitating
- Brucella suis
- Vee virus
- SEB
- Q fever agent
The Sverdlovsk Incident
● April-May 1979
- 66 Anthrax fatalities
● 1988
- Soviets present data:
● 96 cases
● 79 gastrointestinal
● May 1992
- Yeltsin admits “military
developments”
Soviet BW Priorities
“Agents Likely to be Used”
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Plaque
Anthrax
Botulism
VEE
Tularemia
Q Fever
Marburg
Influenza
Melioidosis
Trphus
“There were more INSTITUTES
working on Plague in the USSR
than PERSONNEL working on
Plague in the USA”
-- Dr Ken Alibek
Advantages of BW:
Are Biologicals the Ultimate Weapon?
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Agents easy to procure
Inexpensive to produce
Can disseminate at great distance
Agent clouds invisible
Detection quite difficult
First sign is illness
Overwhelms medical capabilities
Simple threat creates panic
Perpetrators escape before effects
Ideal terrorist weapon
Acquisition of Etiologic Agents
● Multiple Culture Collections
● Universities
● Commercial Supply Houses
● Foreign Laboratories
● Field Samples or Clinical Specimens
Hazardous Biologic Material
● Letters
● Packages
● Cultures
● Person – to – Person
● Airborne Distribution
Response
● Not Typical First Responders
● BIO First Responders
- Health Providers
- Public Health
● All Organizations Involved
Issues
● Rapid Detection
● Public Health
● Hospital Capacity
● Stockpiling
● Vaccine Production
Health Providers’ Responsibilities
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Awareness
Presumptive Diagnosis
Reporting
Epidemiology
Response
-Triage
-Prophylaxis
-Immunizations
-Treatment
● Risk Communications
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Be aware
2. Do not over – react
3. Listen to authorities
4. Take common sense precautions
- radio and batteries
- 3 - 5 day supply of food and water
- full tank of gas
- location of shelters
5. Participate in planning
6. Continue usual behavior
It’s not a question of if...
26 February 1993, New York
20 March 1995, Tokyo
It’s not even a question of when…
a question
of when
19It’s
April
1995, Oklahoma
City next…
11 September 2001, New York