Early Abstracts for Proposed Presentations:

CBMTS Industry VI and Fifth World Congress CBRN and Terrorism

5-10 April 2009, Dubrovnik, Croatia

1. Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) as Asymmetric Weapons: The Design Basis Threat
MAJ Lars Skinner, USAR-Consequence Management Unit, APG, MD, USA

          Asymmetric warfare concepts relate well to the use of improvised chemical weapons against urban targets. Sources of information on toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and lists of high threat chemicals are available that point to likely choices for an attack. Accident investigations can be used as a template for attacks, and to judge the possible effectiveness of an attack using TICs. The results of a chlorine rail car accident in South Carolina, USA and the Russian military assault on a Moscow theater provide many illustrative points for similar incidents that might be carried out deliberately. Computer modeling of outdoor releases shows how an attack might take into consideration issues of stand-off distance and dilution. Finally, the preceding may be used to estimate with some accuracy the design basis threat posed by the use of TICs as weapons.

2. Chemical Toxicity Approach for Emergency Response
Timothy Bauer, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, Dahlgren, Virginia, USA 22448-5162

          In the event of an airborne release of chemical agent or toxic industrial chemical by accidental or intentional means, emergency responders must have a reasonable estimate of the location and size of the resulting hazard area. Emergency responders are responsible for warning persons downwind of the hazard to evacuate or shelter-in-place and must know where to look for casualties after the hazard has passed or dissipated. Given the same source characterization, modern hazard assessment models provide comparable concentration versus location and time estimates. Even urban hazard assessment models often provide similar predictions. There is a major shortcoming, though, in applying model output to estimating human toxicity effects. There exist a variety of toxicity values for non-lethal effects ranging from short-term to occupational to lifetimeexposures. For health and safety purposes, these estimates are all safe-sided in converting animal data to human effects and in addressing the most sensitive subset of the population. In addition, these values are usually based on an assumed 1 hour exposure duration at constant concentration and do not reflect either a passing cloud's concentration profile or duration. Emergency responders need expected value toxicity parameters rather than the existing safe-sided ones. This presentation will specify the types of toxicity values needed to provide appropriate chemical hazard estimates to emergency responders and will demonstrate how dramatically their use changes the hazard area.

3. What About the Animals? Dealing with Working Dogs, Pets and Other Animals During Terrorism
Incidents and Disasters
Gary Eifried, Science Applications International Corporation, Abingdon, Maryland, USA 21009.

          It is highly likely that K9 teams (patrol, search and rescue, and cadaver) will be exposed to hazardous materials as a result of an act of CBRN terrorism, and thus require decontamination. Service animals and pets which have been exposed to toxic agents and materials will also need to be decontaminated, along with their owners. Emergency evacuation and sheltering plans need to consider how service animals, pets and livestock will be handled. The United States has recently made significant changes to focus in this regard, to the extent that caring for animals must now be addressed in disaster preparedness planning. In this paper we describe lessons learned from work done by the Massachusetts Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR), and the response to hurricane Katrina, concerning the handling and decontamination of animals following major incidents. We discuss: how the new Federal and state mandates have changed evacuation and sheltering concepts; cooperation among government entities, veterinarians, animal facilities, humane societies, animal rescue organizations and animal owners; and describe some practical considerations and solutions to sheltering and mass decontamination of animals along with their humans.

4. Antidotal Effect of Varthemia Persica DC Extract in Organophosphate Poisoning or Warfare Agents by Measuring Whole Blood Acetylcholinesterase
Heibatullah Kalantari, Amir Siahapoosh, Karim Mohammadi Farsani; School of Pharmacy, Ahwaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran

          The organophosphates (OPs) or warfare agents toxicity results from inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AchE). Phosphylation of the active serin of AchE leads to accumulation of acetylcholine in synaptic clefts, leading to generalized cholinergic over-stimulation. Standard treatment of OP poisoning includes a muscarinic antagonist, such as Atropine, and acetylcholinesterase reactivator (oxime). Presently, oximes like obidoxime and pralidoxime are approved as antidotes against OP poisoning but are considered to be rather ineffective against certain OPs, e.g., Soman. In this study, the protective effect of Varthemia persica DC extract on AChE was examined in rats. Animals in weight range of 200-225g were divided in 8 groups. The negative control group, received only 0.4 ml normal saline, reference group, received ethylparaoxone in dose of 50 percent of LD₅₀, positive control group, received ethylparaoxone (50% LD₅₀) and one minute later 50¼mol of pralidoxime. Test group 1: received ethylparaoxone and one minute later single dose of methanolic extract of Varthemia persica (250mg/kg), Test Group 2: daily received methanolic extract of V.persica (250mg/kg) in six days and one minute after last dose of extract, ethylparaoxone (50% LD₅₀) were injected, Test Group 3: received ethylparaoxone (50% LD₅₀) and then six doses of methanolic extract of V.persica (250mg/kg) in six continuous days. Test Group 4: received ethylparaoxone and then single dose of dichloromethane extract of V.persica (250mg/kg). Test Group 5: received ethylparaoxone and one minute later single high dose of methanolic extract of V.persica (1000mg/kg). Then blood withdrawn and AChE activity was measured according to modified Ellman's method. Only in groups which received extract of V. persica before and after injection of ethylparaoxone, the mean of AChE activity was significantly different with reference group (p<0.05) but no significant difference with reference group were observed in other test groups.

For the Professional in Government and Industry with an interest in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense, Disarmament and Verification; Emergency and Disaster Medical Planning; Industrial Health and Safety; and Environmental Protection