TERRORISM: FBI Training Elite Deep-diving Counterterrorism unit

photo courtesy fbi.gov

Underwater terrorismFBI training elite deep-diving counterterrorism unit

Published 18 October 2011

To bolster its counterterrorism capabilities, the FBI has created an elite group of special agents trained to track terrorism underwater.
Next year the ten-member Technical Dive Team will begin searching for evidence left behind by international terrorists in waters contaminated by chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear waste.
Pointing to the 2008 attack in Mumbai, India where terrorists entered the city by boat, supervisory special agent James Tullbane, a Technical Dive Team member, said, “There have been enough scenarios recently,” to justify the creation of the special unit.  Full article

CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS > Three chemical accidents at DuPont plant in West Virginia in 2010 were ‘preventable’

Thu, 2011-07-07 12:44 PM

By: Jacob Goodwin

Three accidents which occurred within a 33-hour period in January 2010 at a DuPont Corp. chemical manufacturing plant in West Virginia were caused by a “series of preventable safety shortcomings,” including a failure to maintain the integrity of a hose that carried lethal phosgene gas, whose leak led to the death of one exposed plant worker.

That was the conclusion contained in a draft report prepared by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which was directed to examine the circumstances surrounding three successive accidents that took place at DuPont’s  facility in Belle, WV, on January 22 and 23, 2010.

The Board’s report included several remedial recommendations. “Among them, DuPont is urged to enclose all of its phosgene production and storage areas so that any releases of phosgene will be contained,” said a press release issued by the CSB on July 7.

The Board concluded that the hose that burst in front of the DuPont worker was supposed to be changed at least once a month, but the hose that failed had not been changed for seven months. Furthermore, the hose involved “was susceptible to corrosion from phosgene,” the release explained.  Read more

FREE TRAINING > Anhydrous Ammonia Training

This is the best training I have ever seen on anhydrous ammonia.  Please pass along to all your emergency responder buddies and who ever else might benefit from this great training!  

Photo courtesy of:  http://transcaer.com

Below is the list of contents.  Go to course page

1. Introduction
2. How To Use This Training Package
3. Student Handbook
4. Properties
5. Transports
6. Railcars
7. Emergency Response
8. Additional Materials
9. Sponsors & Partners
10. Conclusion

CBRNE > Enzyme Might Hold Key to Countering Nerve Agents

Military Chemical Agent Sign for "G agents"

Enzyme Might Hold Key to Countering Nerve Agents

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Drugs produced from a natural enzyme could one day be used to protect people exposed to lethal nerve agents, the U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Friday (see GSN, April 28).

The health agency is providing funding for work by Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science to develop medications that could disassemble organophosphate chemicals used in "G-type" nerve agents such as sarin and soman.

"Drugs based on [this] approach would be a valuable addition to our nation’s ability to mount an effective medical response in the event of a chemical emergency," David Jett, head contact for the NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats program, said in a press release.

Sarin was notably used by the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult in two attacks that killed 20 people in 1994 and 1995 (see GSN, March 8).

The U.S. chemical arsenal, which is due to be fully eliminated in about 10 years, also includes sarin (seeGSN, July 5). For complete article 

Announcements > CDC's ATSDR Health Survey of Pre-1986 Personnel at Camp Lejeune

May 20, 2011 / 60(19);629

During June--December 2011, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will conduct a health survey of persons who resided or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina before 1986 and might have been exposed to contaminated drinking water. The purpose of the survey is to learn more about participants' health. Health surveys also will be mailed to a comparison group of former active duty marines, sailors, and civilian employees, sampled from those who lived or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California.

Eligible participants who were formerly at Camp Lejeune include 1) former active duty marines and sailors who were stationed at Camp Lejeune any time during June 1975--December 1985, 2) civilian employees who worked at Camp Lejeune any time during December 1972--December 1985, 3) families who took part in the 1999--2002 ATSDR telephone survey of childhood cancers and birth defects, and 4) persons who registered with the Camp Lejeune notification registry.

Participants will receive a paper copy of the health survey and instructions for completing and mailing. A web-based version of the survey also will be available for those who prefer to answer online. Health-care providers are asked to share information regarding the Camp Lejeune survey with their patients who lived or worked at the base before to 1986 and to encourage those receiving a health survey for either Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton to fill it out and return it or complete it online. Additional information is available at here.

Hazmat trucks stopped in downtown Dallas

Tankers carrying hazardous materials // Source: ehow.com

City of Dallas police are enforcing city laws prohibiting truckers from hauling hazardous materials through downtown Dallas; last week the police stopped twenty-seven trucks in downtown Dallas, carrying, among other things, cyanide, gasoline, and dynamite   Read more

India's Army Could Receive WMD-Resistant Gear

When you go to the webpage to read this article, be sure and read the referenced web pages also; otherwise, the article gets confusing.  3 mins read.  This is the future of gear for responders.

image courtesy of:  answers.com

India's army could receive new gear designed to provide protection against chemical, biological or nuclear materials, the Press Trust of India reported on Wednesday (see GSN, April 26).

Kanpur's Defense Material and Stores Research Development Establishment "has developed a new NBC or nuclear-biological-chemical suit that would be proved effective against any kind of dangerous weapons or chemicals and protect soldiers from any sort of attack," agency head Arvind Kumar Saxena said.

Read more

Technology > New insect repellant may be thousands of times stronger than DEET

Excellent,  good to know info.  Two pg article; first page is for laymen to read, second page for scientists!


The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting a major interdisciplinary research project to develop new ways to control the spread of malaria by disrupting a mosquito's sense of smell; as part of the project, Vanderbilt University researchers developed an insect repellant which is not only thousands of times more effective than DEET -- the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellants -- but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths, and ants

Free Courses > CDC Public Health

Several free Public Health courses

E-learning encompasses interactive instruction delivered through a computer by way of the Internet, intranet, compact disc, or other digital media designed to support specific learning objectives.

The following e-learning products are featured. They have been reviewed by CDC staff and met the following specific selection criteria:

• Instructional design and usability best practices manifested through sound learning objectives, use of media, interactivity, and technical operation
• Accurate content, aligned with CDC recommendations and policy
• Compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Available at no cost

Featured E-learning Products by Title

• BioterroRisk
• Chronic Disease Series — Nutrition and Health
• Chronic Disease Series — Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health
• Chronic Disease Series — Obesity Prevention in Children
• Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention
• Health Literacy for Public Health Professionals
• Hemochromatosis: What Every Clinician And Health Care Professional Needs To Know
• IS-100.b: Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.A: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS-800.B: National Response Framework, An Introduction
• Preparedness and Community Response to Pandemics
• Ready, Set, Surge! Fundamentals of Responding to a Public Health Emergency at U.S. Ports of Entry
• Smoking Cessation Clinical Intervention Tutorial
• Social Marketing for Nutrition and Physical Activity
• STD Self Study Modules: Chlamydia
• STD Self Study Modules: Gonorrhea
• STD Self Study Modules: Herpes
• STD Self Study Modules: HPV
• STD Self Study Modules: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• STD Self Study Modules: Syphilis
• STD Self Study Modules: Vaginitis