Five Basic Things to Know About Those
"Weapons of Mass Destruction"

by Don Farkas

August 13, 2006  

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, concerns have often been raised about the risk of attack by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) here in the United States. While convincing evidence exists that officials in the Bush administration have periodically created false or exagerated reports of WMD threats to raise public fears at politically expedient times, there is no doubt that an underlying potential threat from WMD's does exist, even without factoring in one's views regarding the effectiveness of the Bush administration's national security preparations and foreign policies. A report issued a little over two years ago on July 22, 2004, by the bipartisan Congressional Commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 attacks, underscored that the current risks of a "catastrophic" attack inside the United States, possibly involving some sort of WMD, remain high.

Because of (or despite) the hype, many of the public may have an interest in learning more about what specific types of WMD threats exist, as well as the reasonable precautions they could take to protect themselves. It can only be hoped there are more effective strategies than the one suggested by the old joke that went: "In the event of a nuclear attack, duck down, place your head between your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye."

While a great deal of information about the subject of WMD's already exists, many people may prefer a less voluminous summary of basic information and precautions, presented in a way that is simpler to understand and easier to remember. In response to this perceived need for a simplified public educational tool about WMD's, I sought suggestions for drafting a proposed informational pamphlet from different sources. Information was obtained from Federal Emergency Management Administration publications, the disaster preparedness organization based in Brentwood, California called Emergency Response Corps, and from biological and radiological weapons experts including Larry Grimm, an expert of Environmental Health and Safety of UCLA Radiation Safety, and Peter Katona, MD, FACP, an Associate Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine who is an expert on infectious diseases and is a Member of the L.A. County Department of Heath Services Advisory Panel on Biologic Terrorism. Many of their excellant suggestions were incorporated into the proposed pamphlet and their contributions are gratefully acknowledged.

The following summarizes some basic information about the five known types of "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD's), along with a brief description of some practical measures one could use to more rationally respond in the hopefully unlikely event such weapons are ever used.

PLEASE NOTE: Undertaking expensive and extraordinary precautions, such as building fully equiped bomb shelters with air filtration systems, or obtaining "HAZMAT" suits, gas masks, radiation detectors, etc., would probably not be very useful or practical for most people. It is highly unlikely these would be located near enough, or maintained well enough over time, to be available or useful in a real attack.

To generally prepare you and your family against a possible attack by WMD's, probably the most realistic preparations that one could make are essentially the same as those that have been suggested for preparing for natural disasters. These include:

	EVAC PLAN: Create a home evacuation plan with agreed upon alternative meeting places and contact methods;
	PHONE LIST: Keep a list of out-of-state telephone contacts and important telephone and insurance policy numbers with you at all times;
	FOOD & WATER: Maintain sufficient stocks of emergency food supplies such as water (at least one gallon per person per day) and non-perishable, simple to prepare food (along with a manual can opener!) to last at least two weeks, minimum;
	PORTABLE SHELTER: Have sufficient equipment to provide your family with shelter, such as tents, tarps, ponchos, blankets, warm clothing, and sleeping bags, in case your home ever becomes uninhabitable;
	HEALTH & SANITATION: Maintain a store of extra supplies for personal health and hygiene such as soap, toothbrushes, toilet paper, first aid and sanitary supplies, any needed medicines, extra eyeglasses, water filter and water purification tablets, etc.;
	EXTRA CASH: Keep handy a ready supply of cash in small denominations in case credit cards, checks, and ATM's are no longer usable;
	EMERGENCY TOOLS: Have essential emergency tools such as a crowbar, axe, shovel, adjustible wrench, several N-95 rated construction-type masks per person, goggles, leather gloves, rubber gloves, flashlights and battery powered lanterns, extra batteries, heavy duty work shoes, plastic sheeting, garbage bags, rope, duct tape, cleaning supplies, mops, buckets, and brooms, battery powered radio, working household smoke alarms, and portable "ABC" rated fire extinguishers;
	KEEP EXTRA SUPPLIES IN YOUR CAR: Keep an additional stash of emergency supplies in your vehicle (including, at minimum, water sufficient for three days per expected passenger, walking shoes, battery powered radio, and a jacket) in case you happen to be away from home at the time.

# 1) FIVE KNOWN TYPES OF "WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION"

There are currently five known types of "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD). The names of these five types ironically spell out the mnemonic "B-NICE": (1) Biological, (2) Nuclear, (3) Incendiary, (4) Chemical, (5) Explosive.

In the event of a witnessed explosion or an extremely bright flash of light, you should immediately duck and take cover if possible in the nearest protective location to minimize possible thermal and blast affects. After all immediate blast effects are over (such as possible re-bounding air pressure return blast or delayed structure collapse) you should then move to an upwind location where it is most safe to avoid possible secondary fires, and breathing or ingesting dangerous dust, fumes, smoke, or fallout. If you happen to be in a vehicle, roll up all windows and turn off any ventilation fans bringing in outside air. Turn on radios and listen for emergency instructions and warnings.

Especially with regard to a potential attack by biological, chemical, or radioactive material dispersion (i.e., a "dirty bomb"), make a decision as to whether it is safer to move away from the threatening agent, or else "shelter in place" within some type of protected space or barrier.

Report the discovery of any suspicious substance, device, or container to local authorities. A package or envelope may be suspicious if it is unusually thick, heavy, stiff, unbalanced at one end, has no return address or has an unusual writing style, "grease" marks caused by "sweating" of an explosive, unusual smell, is very tightly sealed or taped shut, etc. Do not open, shake, or empty any suspicious envelope or package. If it is found indoors, immediately leave and close off the area, summon emergency help, and do not allow anyone else to enter. Shut down all air ventilation systems in the building.

# 2) FIVE ROUTES OF ENTRY FOR HARMFUL FACTORS FROM WMD's TO EFFECT YOUR BODY

There are five possible routes of entry of potentially harmful factors from WMD's into your body: (1) Inhalation, (2) Absorption, (3) Ingestion, (4) Injection, (5) Psychological.

DON'T SUCCUMB TO PANIC. By its very nature, the purpose of a terrorist attack is often to cause fear in a population that will interfere with the normal functioning of the target society and its economy. Accordingly, people should remember that their greatest danger of injury may not come directly from the threatening agent itself, but rather from panic that may result. Actions taken in fear and panic, such as immediately rushing through a potentially dangerous area in an attempt to return home or retreive children from schools, might not be helpful to either you or your children in the event of an attack. Consider that schools typically have well developed emergency plans that may likely keep your child safer than you could do in a panic. Becoming stuck and vulnerably exposed in gridlocked traffic may also be expected due to potential road hazards and the blocked vehicles of those who do not know any better.

If you are physically hurt after an attack, make a decision as to whether it is safer to seek medical attention as soon as possible, or else wait until authorities instruct that travel through the area has become safe. Generally, because large doses of radiation are required to cause an immediate threat to your body, a short exposure to radiation/radioactive materials will rarely pose a threat that would be more risky than not seeking treatment for a serious physical injury. However, if you have a good reason to suspect some other immediate danger, such as might exist after an attack by chemical or biological weapons, you will have to also consider those factors before traveling to minimize your risks.

# 3) FIVE CLASSES OF CHEMICAL AGENTS

There are five common classes of harmful chemical agents: (1) Nerve agents, (2) Blister agents, (3) Blood agents (and ingestible toxins), (4) Choking agents, (5) Irritating agents.

Survival strategies are similar for all types: PREVENT PHYSICAL CONTACT. Protect yourself by preventing or limiting physical contact by blocking routes of entry into your body using any available type of covering or barrier including goggles, masks, gloves, impervious shoe and clothing coverings, and preventing inadvertent secondary contamination by touching any exposed materials or ingesting exposed food or water. Decontaminate any exposed areas of your body with gentle washing (DO NOT SCRUB) using copious amounts of soap and water as soon as possible. Report any suspicious substance, device, package, or envelope to local authorities. Do not open or shake a suspicious container or try to clean up the substance. If the suspicious substance or container is found inside of a building, seal off all affected rooms and shut down the ventilation system.

# 4) FIVE TYPES OF BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

There are five primary types of harmful biological agents: (1) Bacteria, (2) Viruses, (3) Rickettsia, (4) Fungi, (5) Prions.

Protect yourself by FREQUENT HAND WASHING, as well as preventing or limiting contact with possibly contaminated surfaces and blocking routes of entry into your body. Possibly useful only in situations involving certain types of communicable biological agents, would be attempts to prevent contagion by wearing surgical or construction-type, OSHA N-95 rated masks. Another useful protection would be early detection and isolation of persons exhibiting possible exposure signs such as elevated body temperatures, or rash-like lesions on the body which cover even the palms and soles of the feet.

The use of insect repellants containing DEET, the wearing of long pants and long sleeved clothing, and avoiding being outside during twilight hours, would be useful to help ward off being bitten by possible insect vectors (such as mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and mites) that might carry harmful biological agents.

DISINFECT WATER FOR DRINKING: If a threat of contamination exists, water for drinking can be disinfected from many types of harmful biological agents by straining out sediment and boiling for at least five to ten minutes and/or using commercially available camping water purification filtering devices or water purification tablets. If those methods can not be used, water for drinking may also be disinfected from many types of harmful biological agents by treating with liquid househod chlorine bleach (i.e., 5.25% sodium hypochlorate) using up to four (4) drops of liquid bleach per quart of water, mixed thouroughly, and allowed to stand at least 30 minutes. If the liquid bleach is more than one year old, double the amount used. A slight chlorine odor should be detectable in the water afterwards. If in doubt, avoid ingesting any possibly contaminated water (or food) if at all possible. If there is absolutely no available alternative, straining water through paper towels, clean cloth, coffee filters, etc. would be better than nothing.

CLEAN INANIMATE SURFACES: Inanimate environmental surfaces (but not people, food, or drinking water) can be decontaminated of most harmful biological agents using a liquid household chlorine bleach solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.

Attempts to self medicate with antibiotics as a protective, preventative measure may not only be useless, but dangerous as well.

# 5) FIVE GENERAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES TO BE REMEMBERED FOR ALL KINDS OF ATTACKS

There are five general protective measures that should be remembered:

EDITOR'S NOTE: Anyone who has any questions, comments or concerns should feel free to contact:

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Don Farkas

Don Farcus is a frequent contributor to LA Community Policing.

He's Chair of the ad hoc Bel Air Public Safety Advisory Committee
(BAPSAC) and Former BABC NC Public Safety Committee Chairperson.

Email: donfarkas@belairmail.com

Phone - (310) 472-4822

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