Management of Chemical Terrorism and Chemical Disasters

Though the possibility of terrorist groups obtaining chemical weapons and inflicting mass destruction are relatively low, the relevance of chemical agents still remains high since use of such chemical agents in causing potentially dangerous consequences remains very high. Sporadic chemical attacks and chemical disasters happen all over the world and they cause long lasting damages. Easy accessibility to variety of toxic industrial chemicals and the relatively simple know-how needed to synthesize chemical agents pose a serious threat. However, technological developments and the easy availability of information have empowered the security forces and the law enforcement agencies to formulate responsive mechanism to mitigate the ill effects of chemical disasters. Though the international and national agencies strive hard to ward off the debilitating effects of chemical agents and disasters, the capability of such efforts in addressing the potential risks remains doubtful. This review describes the characteristics and classification of chemical agents and toxic industrial chemicals, their physico – chemical properties, detection, decontamination and response by the security agencies and first responders in addressing the threat to mankind in the form of chemical terrorism and chemical disasters.

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Sensitive detection of chemical agents and toxic industrial chemicals using active open-path FTIRs

10.1117/12.516229 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William T. Walter

Keyword(s):

Sensitive Detection ◽

Industrial Chemicals ◽

Toxic Industrial Chemicals ◽

Chemical Agents ◽

Open Path

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Physical and chemical properties of PAN-derived electrospun activated carbon nanofibers and their potential for use as an adsorbent for toxic industrial chemicals

Adsorption ◽

10.1007/s10450-012-9399-x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (3-4) ◽

pp. 265-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

P. Sullivan ◽

J. Moate ◽

B. Stone ◽

J. D. Atkinson ◽

Z. Hashisho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Activated Carbon ◽

Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Physical And Chemical Properties ◽

Industrial Chemicals ◽

Toxic Industrial Chemicals ◽

Activated Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

And Chemical Properties

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The current status and future potential of chemical approaches to crop protection

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1981.0121 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 295 (1076) ◽

pp. 5-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Keyword(s):

Life Histories ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Current Status ◽

Pests And Diseases ◽

Chemical Agents ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Yield Information ◽

Future Potential ◽

Economic Considerations

Pesticide research has provided compounds of progressively increased activity, and recently discovered insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are outstandingly potent. Consideration of the practical use of such chemical agents suggests that greater attention should now be given to methods of application and to the physico-chemical properties that determine redistribution and biological availability following release. Effective economical control agents are not yet available for several categories of damaging organism including viruses, bacteria and certain soil-borne pests and diseases. Analysis of the reasons why these categories have proved so refractory suggests that alternative chemical approaches, such as treatments that modify the host plant, and additional properties such as mobility in plants should be investigated. Such analysis also emphasizes the need to consider chemical approaches together with other methods of control in relation to the life histories and population dynamics of the species concerned. Detailed consideration of this principle can not only yield information about the optimum deployment of chemical agents to ensure their continuing efficacy but also suggest the types of action that would be most appropriate. The potential for further improvements in the materials available and methods of use is substantial, but how far this potential is realized will depend as much on policy and economic considerations as scientific factors.

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Modeling and Risk Analysis of Chemical Terrorist Attacks: A Bayesian Network Method

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17062051 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 2051 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rongchen Zhu ◽

Xiaofeng Hu ◽

Xin Li ◽

Han Ye ◽

Nan Jia

Keyword(s):

Risk Analysis ◽

Bayesian Network ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Terrorist Attack ◽

Terrorist Attacks ◽

Industrial Chemicals ◽

Toxic Industrial Chemicals ◽

Terrorism Risk ◽

Chemical Terrorism ◽

The Impact

The chemical terrorist attack is an unconventional form of terrorism with vast scope of influence, strong concealment, high technical means and severe consequences. Chemical terrorism risk refers to the uncertainty of the effects of terrorist organisations using toxic industrial chemicals/drugs and classic chemical weapons to attack the population. There are multiple risk factors infecting chemical terrorism risk, such as the threat degree of terrorist organisations, attraction of targets, city emergency response capabilities, and police defense capabilities. We have constructed a Bayesian network of chemical terrorist attacks to conduct risk analysis. The scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis are applied to validate the model and analyse the impact of the vital factor on the risk of chemical terrorist attacks. The results show that the model can be used for simulation and risk analysis of chemical terrorist attacks. In terms of controlling the risk of chemical terrorist attack, patrol and surveillance are less critical than security checks and police investigations. Security check is the most effective approach to decrease the probability of successful attacks. Different terrorist organisations have different degrees of threat, but the impacts of which are limited to the success of the attack. Weapon types and doses are sensitive to casualties, but it is the level of emergency response capabilities that dominates the changes in casualties. Due to the limited number of defensive resources, to get the best consequence, the priority of the deployment of defensive sources should be firstly given to governmental buildings, followed by commercial areas. These findings may provide the theoretical basis and method support for the combat of the public security department and the safety prevention decision of the risk management department.

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Decoration of specific sites on freeze-fractured membranes

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100081565 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 140-141

Author(s):

H. Gross ◽

H. Moor

Keyword(s):

Pure Water ◽

Freeze Fracture ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Surface Forces ◽

Sulfate Pentahydrate ◽

Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Water Of Hydration ◽

Small Container ◽

Binding Forces

Fracturing under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV, p ≤ 10-9 Torr) produces membrane fracture faces devoid of contamination. Such clean surfaces are a prerequisite foe studies of interactions between condensing molecules is possible and surface forces are unequally distributed, the condensate will accumulate at places with high binding forces; crystallites will arise which may be useful a probes for surface sites with specific physico-chemical properties. Specific “decoration” with crystallites can be achieved nby exposing membrane fracture faces to water vopour. A device was developed which enables the production of pure water vapour and the controlled variation of its partial pressure in an UHV freeze-fracture apparatus (Fig.1a). Under vaccum (≤ 10-3 Torr), small container filled with copper-sulfate-pentahydrate is heated with a heating coil, with the temperature controlled by means of a thermocouple. The water of hydration thereby released enters a storage vessel.

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PHYSICO CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF NICKEL OXIDE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE

Le Journal de Physique Colloques ◽

10.1051/jphyscol:1976798 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 37 (C7) ◽

pp. C7-438-C7-442 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. FARHI ◽

G. PETOT-ERVAS

Keyword(s):

High Temperature ◽

Nickel Oxide ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Physico Chemical

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Physico-Chemical Properties of Recombinant Desulphatohirudin

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1645073 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 63 (03) ◽

pp. 499-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A Electricwala ◽

L Irons ◽

R Wait ◽

R J G Carr ◽

R J Ling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Weight ◽

Gel Filtration ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Alpha Helix ◽

Apparent Molecular Weight ◽

Correlation Spectroscopy ◽

Nmr Studies ◽

Recombinant Hirudin ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Recombinant Molecule

SummaryPhysico-chemical properties of recombinant desulphatohirudin expressed in yeast (CIBA GEIGY code No. CGP 39393) were reinvestigated. As previously reported for natural hirudin, the recombinant molecule exhibited abnormal behaviour by gel filtration with an apparent molecular weight greater than that based on the primary structure. However, molecular weight estimation by SDS gel electrophoresis, FAB-mass spectrometry and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy were in agreement with the theoretical molecular weight, with little suggestion of dimer or aggregate formation. Circular dichroism studies of the recombinant molecule show similar spectra at different pH values but are markedly different from that reported by Konno et al. (13) for a natural hirudin-variant. Our CD studies indicate the presence of about 60% beta sheet and the absence of alpha helix in the secondary structure of recombinant hirudin, in agreement with the conformation determined by NMR studies (17)

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