***********************************************
CBR
Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, August 26,
2009
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Table of
Contents
1. Protesters tell Montreal to change street name honouring
British General [Jeffery Amherst]
2. W[est] P[ensylvannia] bioterrorism lab
fails inspection [Lawrenceville, PA]
3. Laredo health dept., school
district, install first internet system in nation for early I.D., tracking,
decisions on 'swine flu' virus infection [TX]
4. FDA [food and drug
administration] approves military flu testing on portable lab
5. Maryland
hospitals to share data on swine flu, other diseases
6. Anti-terror[ism]
antibodies: European scientists have developed a method to detect potential
biological warfare agents in food
7. Police nab LeT [Lashkar-i-Tayyiba]
militant [Mohammad Aslam] with explosives
8. Pentagon must meet chemical
weapons disposal deadline, U.S. lawmakers say
9. Regional course for
national authorities in Asia on training escorts for inspections
10.
Defentect, Washington Hospital Center announce expansion agreement for radiation
detection system [D.C.]
11. ORNL [Oak Ridge National Laboratory] workers
fight nuclear proliferation [Oak Ridge, TN]
12. Legislation to implement
recommendations of WMD commission forthcoming
13. Verizon business
[telecommunications] MERIT [Major Emergency Response Incident Team] hazmat team
ready for deployment to protect network every day
14. MDA [MacDonald,
Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd.] to field test advanced information solutions for
crime scene assessment [Richmond, BC]
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BW-HISTORY-CANADA
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1.
*Protesters tell Montreal to change street name honouring British General
[Jeffery Amherst]
"Protesters in Montreal are calling on the city to yank
the name of a controversial British general from its street signs. About a dozen
demonstrators gathered in front of city hall Monday to demand that politicians
change the name of Amherst Street, which honours Jeffery Amherst. [...] In a
successful military career, Amherst led British forces to victory against the
French in Canada in the mid-1700s. But some believe he used smallpox-infected
[sic] blankets and handkerchiefs as a form of biological warfare against native
Americans." (Canada East; 24Aug09)
http://www.canadaeast.com/front/article/770466----------------------------------------------------------------
BW-PREP/DEFENSE/RESPONSE-U.S.
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2.
*W[est] P[ensylvannia] bioterrorism lab fails inspection [Lawrenceville,
PA]
"Allegheny County's new high-tech bioterrorism laboratory has failed an
inspection that's required for it to open. The lab in Lawrenceville is nearly
two years behind schedule and $2 million over budget. It was expected to be open
this month. The county hopes to have the problems fixed by the G-20 economic
summit next month, but officials don't know what the work will cost. Inspector
Larry Milchak says the correct alarms did not sound during several power failure
scenarios. He says there were doors that didn't shut properly and improper seals
that could allow contaminated air to escape. The laboratory is certified to
handle materials like anthrax [bacteria] or smallpox [viruses]. It can examine
viruses such as the [causative agent of] H1N1 swine flu." (Philadelphia
Inquirer; 26Aug09; Source: AP)
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20090826_ap_wpabioterrorismlabfailsinspection.html3.
*Laredo health dept., school district, install first internet system in nation
for early I.D., tracking, decisions on 'swine flu' virus infection
[TX]
"The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) and the Laredo
Independent School District (LISD) are installing a 'first-in-the nation,'
internet-based system for early identification of possible novel Influenza H1N1
virus infection of students, teachers and staff. [...] The system, known as
Argus1 provides [...] 'point-of-contact surveillance for other forms of
influenza as well as the potential to track other public health infectious
diseases and chemical agents that the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has
identified as possible agents in a biological or chemical terrorist attack,'
said Robert Burns, Director of Information Technology for Argus One Systems,
Inc. [...] 'This surveillance system is an important adjunct to track and
monitor disease from the onset at the provider level and to quickly report to
the CLHD for a rapid response intervention to contain disease,' said Hector
Gonzalez, MD, MPH, Director of the city's Health Dept.' [...] When a person's
symptoms match any of nine categories of public health syndromes [...] the exact
time and location is reported to both the CLHD and to the central office of the
School District, he said. All reported cases are instantly displayed on a map of
the City of Laredo so that potential cases are immediately tracked to help
officials decide how to prevent its spread throughout the schools and the
community at large." (Press Release Web; 26Aug09)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/08/prweb2787514.htm4.
*FDA [food and drug administration] approves military flu testing on portable
lab
"Military doctors can use a portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
testing device to diagnose novel H1N1 flu infections in troops overseas, the FDA
announced. The emergency authorization was approved 'to better protect our
troops,' said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, in a statement. The
device, called JBAIDS (Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic
System), is a rugged, suitcase-sized instrument that can run PCR-based molecular
diagnostic tests. [...] The development program [...] was mainly focused on
biological warfare and bioterrorism threat detection, but the mission also
included the ability to test for naturally occurring infectious pathogens. The
H1N1 flu testing on the device will use the PCR primers developed by the CDC for
use in public health laboratories. Deployment will begin in September to combat
units in the Middle East and Navy ships, according to the U.S. Army's Joint
Project Management Office for Chemical [and] Biological Medical Systems." (Med
Page Today; 26Aug09; John Gever)
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/156995.
*Maryland hospitals to share data on swine flu, other diseases
"Maryland is
launching a new surveillance system to monitor the outbreak of H1N1 virus and
other diseases, Gov. Martin O'Malley unveiled Monday. Maryland's 46 acute-care
hospitals are participating in the surveillance system, called the Electronic
Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics, or
Essence. The system gathers symptom data reported in hospital emergency rooms to
track disease outbreaks, public health emergencies and suspicious patterns of
illness that could serve as an early warning for chemical and bioterrorism
attacks. The data will be shared among the 46 hospitals." (Washington Business
Journal; 25Aug09; Julekha Dash)
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/othercities/washington/stories/2009/08/24/daily34.html----------------------------------------------------------------
BW-PREP/DEFENSE/RESPONSE-GERMANY/SWITZERLAND
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6.
*Anti-terror[ism] antibodies: European scientists have developed a method to
detect potential biological warfare agents in food
"A possible scenario for
a bioterrorism attack could involve food contamination with protein toxins, such
as ricin and botulinum neurotoxins, says Brigitte Dorner, researcher into
microbial toxins, of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. However, until now
detecting toxins in such complex samples has been difficult. Dorner and
colleagues in Germany and Switzerland have devised a highly sensitive system
that can detect trace amounts of the toxins in foods such as milk, baby food and
yoghurt. [...] Dorner and coworkers have used an alternative technique,
immobilising the toxins on microbeads to reduce their toxicity, allowing the
team to generate antibodies quickly in vivo. [...] In Luminex xMAP technology
antibodies are covalently coupled to beads embedded with dyes that generate
signals in response to different targets - in this case the toxins. Dorner
explains: 'We further developed the Luminex xMAP technology to incorporate
magnetic beads to allow us to analyse complex matrices.' The magnetic property
means that the beads can be easily removed from food samples and can undergo
automated washings. This makes toxin detection in foods possible where many
other technologies have failed. [...] Using the bead array, the researchers
simultaneously detected trace amounts of five toxins, including ricin and
botulinum neurotoxins, in food at lower concentrations than commercially
available systems. Dorner says the technique has very good sensitivity. 'We are
able to detect toxins down to a level of picograms per milliliter,' [...] she
says." (Royal Society of Chemistry; 26Aug09; Victoria Steven)
http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2009/10/Antiterror_antibodies.asp----------------------------------------------------------------
CW-ALLEGATIONS-INDIA
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7.
*Police nab LeT [Lashkar-i-Tayyiba] militant [Mohammad Aslam] with
explosives
"New Delhi police said they captured a suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba
militant who was believed to be on his way to carry out attacks on a Hindu
celebration. Police said they captured a 27-year-old militant identified as
Mohammad Aslam at a railway station in New Delhi. Officials say he was seized
with a variety of chemical weapons, detonators and timers sealed in two boxes of
candy, Indian newspaper The Hindu reports. Authorities believe he may have been
en route to help carry out attacks in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra as
Hindus prepared for the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday. [...] Police officials said
Aslam was carrying an identity card from Kashmir when he was arrested." (United
Press International; 26Aug09)
http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/08/26/Police-nab-LeT-militant-with-explosives/UPI-71841251307212/----------------------------------------------------------------
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8.
*Pentagon must meet chemical weapons disposal deadline, U.S. lawmakers
say
"Two U.S. lawmakers from Kentucky yesterday showed no signs of backing
off the congressional demand that the nation's chemical-weapon arsenal be
eliminated by 2017, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. [...] The
installation is expected to be the last site to finish off its arsenal of
materials banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which sets a 2012 deadline
on the United States. 'There are people who say that [2017] can't be met,'
Senator Mitch McConnell (R) said following a visit with Representative Ben
Chandler (D) to the unfinished Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot
Plant. 'But that's the law. That's about eight years from now. Let's get to
work. We'll get the money.' The Defense Department will try to finish work at
Blue Grass before the deadline arrives, said project site manager Jeff Brubaker.
[...] The company expects to complete construction in 2016; Schlatter did not
indicate when work might be finished if additional funds were allocated. The
Pentagon appears likely to receive nearly $550 million in the next budget for
preparation of chemical weapons neutralization at Blue Grass and the Pueblo
Chemical Depot in Colorado." (Global Security Newswire; 26Aug09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20090826_9408.php----------------------------------------------------------------
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9.
*Regional course for national authorities in Asia on training escorts for
inspections
"A 3-day Regional Training Course for National Authorities in
Asia on Training Escorts for Inspections was held in Tehran, Islamic Republic of
Iran from 8-10 August 2009. Over 40 participants from 15 States Parties in the
region participated. The training course provided comprehensive information on
the technical aspects of conducting Article VI inspections by the OPCW. The
topics covered included the history of chemical weapons and international
efforts to ban their use, the status of implementation of the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC), and the role of National Authorities in implementing the CWC
and interacting with stakeholders. [...] Participants were familiarized with
OPCW inspection procedures, specifically the rights and obligations of States
Parties in facilitating the smooth conduct of inspections. [...] The Regional
Training Course was followed by a 3-day national training course in Tehran from
11-13 August 2009 to train escorts for inspections, which attracted more than 50
participants. The national course was designed to enhance national capacity and
train participants as potential national escorts during OPCW inspections in the
future." (OPCW News; 26Aug09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/regional-course-for-national-authorities-in-asia-on-training-escorts-for-inspections/----------------------------------------------------------------
RADIOLOGICAL-PREP/DEFENSE/RESPONSE-U.S.
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10.
*Defentect, Washington Hospital Center announce expansion agreement for
radiation detection system [D.C.]
"Defentect announced today Washington
Hospital Center is deploying Defentect's radiation detection system
hospital-wide following a pilot project to test its effectiveness, with an
additional nine GT2 radiation sensors and two GT4 Gamma Radiation sensors,
capable of isotopic identification. The fixed position unattended sensors are
networked to Defentect's proprietary DM3 management, monitoring and messaging
software platform, which integrates CBRNE [chemical, biological, radiological,
nuclear, and explosives] detection technologies with an incident command center
and coordinates responses according to an engineered concept of operations.
'This deployment enhances our ability to respond quickly and effectively in the
event of a radiological incident. We look forward to assessing and reporting on
the benefits of this comprehensive detection system' said Susan K. Eckert,
Director, EROne Institute for Innovation and Nursing Readiness, Washington
Hospital Center. 'In a security scenario unique to hospitals, Defentect is
configured to monitor for ingress of radiologically contaminated patients from
accidental exposure or via planned terrorist attack; [...] these materials could
become components of a dirty bomb,' said Frank O'Connor, president, Defentect.
[...] 'When threat-level alerts are triggered, Defentect's DM3 sends information
to hospital responders' cell phones, pagers, PDAs and to existing access control
and surveillance security systems.'" (Press Release Newswire; 25Aug09)
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-25-2009/0005082844&EDATE=
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SUB-STATE
NUCLEAR-PREP/DEFENSE/RESPONSE-U.S.
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11.
*ORNL [Oak Ridge National Laboratory] workers fight nuclear proliferation [Oak
Ridge, TN]
"If set off in a place like New York City, a nuclear bomb could
'totally disrupt' the United States' economy and society, an Oak Ridge National
Laboratory director said. Local employees are working to try to prevent that
from happening, said Larry Satkowiak, ORNL director of global security and
nonproliferation programs. He said about 150 Oak Ridge National Laboratory
employees are involved in a variety of efforts designed to limit the spread of
nuclear weapons. [...] On Wednesday, Satkowiak gave a talk on the lab's role in
preventing nuclear terrorism during a Friends of ORNL lunch meeting. 'The threat
has gotten more difficult,' Satkowiak said. 'We can no longer focus on just
countries.' Losing a weapon or nuclear material - perhaps through theft - is the
'scariest thought I can think of,' Satkowiak said. Other scary thoughts include
Pakistan's instability, terror[ist] attacks in South Asia, and the possibility
that North Korea could sell nuclear technologies, materials or weapons,
Satkowiak said. [...] During an hour-long discussion, Satkowiak talked about
nuclear black markets, a proliferation network created by Abdul Qadeer 'A.Q.'
Khan in Pakistan, the removal of uranium-enriching equipment from Libya in 2004,
and concerns about North Korea. [...] Satkowiak also talked about four major
nuclear terrorism threat scenarios: the theft and detonation of intact nuclear
weapons; the theft or purchase of fissile material that leads to the fabrication
of an improvised nuclear device; attacks against and sabotage of nuclear
facilities, and the acquisition of radioactive materials to fabricate and
detonate a so-called dirty bomb." (Oak Ridger; 25Aug09; John Huotari)
http://www.oakridger.com/news/x772316083/ORNL-workers-fight-nuclear-proliferation----------------------------------------------------------------
WMD-PREP/DEFENSE/RESPONSE-U.S.
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12.
*Legislation to implement recommendations of WMD commission
forthcoming
"Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine)
plan to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of the Commission
on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Proliferation and
Terrorism in September, retired Air Force Col. Randall Larsen, the commission's
executive director, told HSToday.us. The WMD Commission has been working closely
with Congress to track 49 specific recommendations made in 13 categories in its
report, titled World at Risk. [...] The commission has developed a matrix to
track progress on the recommendations as made by Congress, the White House, and
non-governmental organizations, Larsen revealed. The commission's work with
Congress on the prevention of biological and nuclear WMD threats has produced an
intense focus on stopping a terrorist attack using biological agents, Larsen
stressed. 'In the legislation that Senators Lieberman and Collins will be
introducing, there is very little mention of the nuclear issue because we have
been dealing with it for so long,' he described. 'It's more an issue of
execution by the executive branch for what needs to be done. On the other hand,
the bio threat requires a lot of legislation and help. It's not as mature. We
have not had the time to mature all of the things we are doing to address the
bio threat as we have with the nuclear threat.' [...] The commissioners have
been pressing for more money in the fiscal 2010 budget (or future budgets) for
the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA). [...] The
Obama administration proposed $300 million in funding for BARDA in fiscal 2010,
but the WMD Commission pressed for about $1.7 billion, Larsen said. [...] In
September, Graham is working with Texas A&M University to produce a brochure
for National Preparedness Month [...] to educat[e] US citizens on the right
questions to ask in quizzing their local, state and federal officials on WMD
preparedness." (Homeland Security Today; 26Aug09; Mickey McCarter)
http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/9969/149/13.
*Verizon business [telecommunications] MERIT [Major Emergency Response Incident
Team] hazmat team ready for deployment to protect network every day
"A
Verizon Business elite team called MERIT - Major Emergency Response Incident
Team - is ready to roll, when necessary, to protect thousands of miles of the
company's communications network assets during natural disasters or hazardous
materials incidents. [...] 'Verizon Business has well-maintained network
facilities that we protect from all kinds of hazards, but we can't always
control the external environment,' said Dick Price, director of business
continuance and emergency management, and founder of the MERIT team. 'So we
created the communication industry's first hazmat team. We needed technically
skilled communications employees who could be trained in hazardous materials,
enabling them to enter an area affected by a hazardous materials spill and
complete a network repair,' Price said. [...] All team members [...] have been
trained under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines, the same certification guidelines
used by major fire department hazardous materials teams in the U.S. MERIT team
members [...] are authorized to operate at the highest operational protection
level (Level A), which allows them to enter a contaminated zone, wearing fully
encapsulated hazmat suits. The team uses multiple tools to detect more than 30
chemicals, ricin and radiological contamination." (Sun Herald; 26Aug09)
http://www.sunherald.com/prnewswire/story/1562281.html----------------------------------------------------------------
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14.
*MDA [MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd.] to field test advanced
information solutions for crime scene assessment [Richmond, BC]
"MacDonald,
Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. [...] announced today that it has signed a
contract for $2 million (CAD) through the Chemical, Biological,
Radiological-Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Research and Technology Initiative
(CRTI), a Government of Canada program led by the Defence Research and
Development Canada - Centre for Security Science. The contract will see the
development of an advanced information solution to assist first responders
investigating hazardous crime scenes. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
will act as the lead federal agency in this project in partnership with MDA,
Toronto Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Vancouver Police Department,
Defence Research and Development Canada - Ottawa, Canadian Police Research
Centre and York University, who is assisting with software development. MDA's
solution will provide real-time data, three dimensional mapping and situational
awareness of hazardous chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive
substances in crime scenes. Deployed on robotic platforms, the solution will
reduce the need for first responders to enter a contaminated scene and risk
exposure to hazardous or explosive materials." (Trading Markets;
25Aug09)
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2495899/