news digest Enduring lessons from Tokyo
Seventeen years on, the sarin nerve agent attack on the Tokyo Underground in the rush hour on 20 March 1995 remains the deadliest terrorist CBRN attack to date. While ‘only’ 12 people died as a direct outcome of the attack, many of the 1,000-plus people exposed to the gas still live with the long-term impact on their health. Today the Western world lives in the
shadow of a repeat of the events in Tokyo. Despite the passage of time the key lessons to emerge on that day need to be remembered. The chaos at the scene with no sense of any cordon being put in place is perhaps the most significant. This allowed people with low levels of contamination to leave the scene and seek sanctuary at work. Their obvious symptoms of exposure to the chemical agent caused their colleagues to suggest that they visit their general practitioners after work. Many followed this advice - spreading the contamination
Sarin gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
into literally hundreds of surgeries and their staff.
The lack of a co-ordinated response also did not help as doctors seeing the distress of patients temporarily blinded by the side-effects of the gas raced forward to the scene as ambulances started the evacuation to hospitals of those most in need of treatment. The confusion over the nature
of the attack also wasted time as hospitals had been alerted to receive patients with injuries systematic of explosions. As patients arrived, hospital staffs were surprised at their breathing difficulties and temporary blindness. It took valuable hours to realise that this was a CBRN attack and not one involving conventional explosives. And of prime importance for future first response was the lack of protection for ambulance and other rescue workers, with more than 300 suffering exposure. However, of all the lessons that emerged
from the attack it was the inevitable arrival at hospitals of the so-called well- unwell people, who overwhelmed the system. The ratio of four people who believed they had been exposed, for every one person that had indeed been contaminated, is arguably the enduring lesson that should not be lost by anyone planning a response to a CBRN event. Dr Dave Sloggett
smart sensors raise contaminant alert
Building Protection Systems, Inc. (BPSI) have released two new Chemical Sensor Arrays and two new Radiation Area Detectors which continuously monitor the air circulating within a facility for dangerous chemicals or radiation. Sentry One Smart Sensors are designed to detect over 38 toxic chemicals and 120 radiological isotopes in seconds - then automatically activate the predetermined mitigation protocol to isolate the toxin thus protecting the air people breathe inside a facility. The sensors incorporate BPSI’s sensor
technology with a modified design which allows the sensors to plug directly into the resident building automation system - thereby reducing installation and equipment expense by as much as 60%.
CBNW WILL BE ATTENDING:
NBC 2012 20th Anniversary Symposium, 11-14 June, Turku, Finland
www.nbcsec.fi/nbc/index1 CBRNE Asia 2012, 3-7 September, Bangkok
www.ibconsultancy.eu/events/cbrne-asia-2012 2nd International Symposium on Development of CBRN Capabilities, 22-24 October, Berlin
www.cbrn-symposium.com
12 | CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE | 2012/01
Guide on Libya weapons
The US government has issued a ‘Recognition Guide’ to border authorities of Libya’s neighbouring countries to help border guards identify quickly various weapons, materials and components – including chemical weapons. Libya’s interim leaders have been destroying CW stockpiles and are working with the UN to locate missing stocks. With no precise number of missing weapons from the Gaddafi regime’s stockpile, however, it is difficult to ascertain how many materials have been removed. Human rights groups and news agencies have reported looting at some unguarded CW depots in the southern region of Libya following Gaddafi’s death.
If any of the estimated 55 tons of mustard agent held in Libya has been removed, the effects of exposure are not likely to appear until up to six hours after contact.
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