Four Common Myths About Chemical and Biological Terrorism
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چکیده
Since the early 1990s, federal and local public safety agencies have been working aggressively to improve our response capabilities for managing terrorist incidents that employ chemical and biological agents. This rush toward readiness was further compelled after the attacks of 9/11 and the anthrax mailings of 2001. Just in the past few years, thousands of law enforcement and emergency services personnel across the country have been pushed through fast-track courses on terrorism and domestic security and reassigned to new positions in homeland security. Publishers have been rushing to meet the demand for training and educational materials by putting out new books, videotapes, and CD-ROMs on chemical and biological terrorism and emergency response. To top all of this, every night a news broadcast features a new expert giving an opinion of the threat and our state of readiness. Unfortunately, in this frenzy toward improved readiness, myths and assumptions have surfaced regarding chemical and biological (CB) terrorism. Given the fact that these myths often emerge from “official” sources, many of these beliefs and assumptions have gradually become accepted as facts by the new generation of homeland security professionals. Left unchallenged, these myths have contributed to a somewhat distorted and, in some cases, dangerous perspective of the threat. When I present seminars on chemical and biological terrorism, I like to begin by clearing the slate and addressing what I refer to as the “Four Common Myths About CB Terrorism.”
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