 Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 2003 |
| ASSEMBLY EDITION • NEW ORLEANS |
Here's a frightening thought: The next terrorist target might not be a large building in a major city or a government office complex. It might be a crowded local mall, a sports stadium on a major game day, a popular beach on Labor Day, a Las Vegas casino, a cruise ship or anywhere else that attracts large numbers of people to one spot -- the so-called soft targets.
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Vaughn Wagner, Ph.D.: |
And instead of using hijacked passenger jets, terrorists might purchase toxic chemical agents at hardware stores or manufacture them with low-tech chemistry sets, then send them through the air using crop dusters or heating and air conditioning systems.
Frightening, yes -- but not beyond the realm of possibility and probability, according to Vaughn Wagner, Ph.D., who gave a lecture Thursday on chemical terrorism and bioterrorism. Wagner is an assistant professor of environmental health science at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md., and an adjunct faculty member with the Office of Home Security of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"I wouldn't be surprised if, in the coming years, we will see more soft targets hit," Wagner said, because security has been beefed up at more obvious targets, such as airports, government buildings and skyscrapers.
Wagner described the various types of chemicals terrorists might use to launch an attack, including blood agents, blister agents, choking agents and nerve agents. Many of these agents were used in past wars but now have uses in manufacturing, agriculture and homes.
"Aerosols are the quickest ways to disseminate these substances, and micron sizes, ranging from 1 to 10 microns, are the most effective," he said.
Blood agents: Sodium cyanide is one that could be used by terrorists, Wagner said. It inhibits cellular respiration and can be found in agricultural slurries and some oil and gas wells.
Blister agents: Among them are mustard gas, which is used in medicine and science, and arsine, which is used in industry and agriculture as an herbicide. Both cause large blisters that can damage cells. Saddam Hussein used mustard gas to attack large numbers of Kurds in 1988, Wagner said.
Choking agents: These include chlorine and phosgene. Both are thermal decomposition agents, he said. Chlorine is used as a disinfectant, especially in swimming pools, and phosgene is used to manufacture organic chemicals.
Nerve agents: These include sarin, a highly toxic nerve gas used in a 1995 attack on a Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, killing 12 and injuring 5,500. Sarin, found in pesticides, is easy to formulate with readily available, inexpensive materials, he said.
Wagner also described some biological toxins that are similar in action to chemical agents in that they have an immediate effect when they come into contact with the human body, rather than taking days or weeks to show an effect. Among these agents are ricin (from the castor bean plant), botulinum toxin, and agents from the fungi Aspergillus and Fusarium. Fungal agents can cause cancers, hemorrhage, immunosuppression and inflammation, he said.
All of these agents can cause immediate chaos, fear and terror -- and that's the point, Wagner said.
"It doesn't hurt to start thinking like a terrorist," he concluded. "Take a look at your community and be aware of the possibilities."
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