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Much has been written on WMD terrorism, but few books present a systems approach to this problem. In this book, we present an integrated view of WMD terrorism. The threat section reviews several scenarios that a terrorist might use and a very comprehensive list of the possible biological organisms and compounds that can be used as biological, mid-spectrum, and chemical threats. In the science and technology section, the technical aspects of a successful defense against WMD agents are presented. Arguments are presented for the control of the release of scientific information to bolster CB defense. Approaches to biological agent detection and a system for ranking detection technologies are discussed next. The generic approach to biological screening and detection is then illustrated with some applications of generic detectors to water, food, and aerosol. The future of biological detection and identification is also presented, along with a call to perhaps change the paradigms that we are using. The last section of the book deals with response system planning. An example of regional cooperation is presented. Risk-based management is discussed and a practical example of this approach to emergency planning is presented. Arguments for an epidemiological reporting system are presented, while the last chapter discusses means to integrate the various components of a response system via a software tool.
List of contents
Section I. The WMD Terrorist Threat.- Biological Threats: Aerosol, Food, Water, and Unconventional.- Biological Warfare Agents, Toxins, Vectors and Pests as biological Terrorism Agents.- An Evaluation of Bioregulators/Modulators as Terrorism and Warfare Agents.- The Problems of Chemical Terrorism.- Section II. Supporting Science and Technology.- Challenges to the Design of New Detection Devices.- Technical Approaches to Biological Agent Detection.- ATP Bioluminescence for the Detection and Identification of Biological Threats.- A Rapid Method for Detecting Bacteria in Drinking Water.- Strategies for the Development of Nucleic Acid Probes for WMD Agents.- Chemical Warfare Agent Sampling and Detection.- New Generations of Protective Equipment for Rescue Operations Following Terrorist Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Attacks.- Personal Decontamination Following a Terrorist Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Attack.- Four Week-Long Tabun Low Level Exposure in Rats.- Paradigm Shift in Developing Countermeasures to Biological and Chemical Threats.- Section III. Systems Integration.- Defense Against Terrorism.- Basic Requirements for the Development of an Integrated Management and Technology System for Combating WMD Terrorism.- Components of Preparedness- Importance of Disease Reporting and Epidemiology Capacity.- Automated Decision Aid System for Hazardous Incidents (ADASHI).
Summary
Much has been written on WMD terrorism, but few books present a systems approach to this problem. Arguments for an epidemiological reporting system are presented, while the last chapter discusses means to integrate the various components of a response system via a software tool.
