Bio-Terrorism
The threats posed by bio-terrorists range from anthrax, smallpox and botulism to radiological attacks, chemical warfare, biological warfare and other weapons of mass destruction, known as WMD; all of which could lead to massive impacts on public health and disastrous contamination of the nation's environment.
Hyatt and GE Security inspected Democratic delegates for explosives
September 19th, 2008
As delegates were arriving last month at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver to attend the Democratic Party’s national convention in the nearby convention center, Hyatt personnel and employees of GE Security were undertaking the precedent-setting task of swabbing the delegates’ luggage and automobiles for any tell-tale traces of explosives.
Four different approaches to thwarting a terrorist attack
August 18th, 2008
Because a terrorist attack in the U.S. using explosives could come from a variety of directions -- and take a variety of shapes and sizes – the U.S. Government is moving forward in a variety of ways to thwart such attacks.
Different technical concepts and different business models are being pursued by different agencies to address these dire scenarios.
AMA to organize Third National Congress on Health System Readiness
August 12th, 2008
The Department of Health and Human Services will award a contract to the Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA), so that it can plan and convene the Third National Congress on Health System Readiness, intended to improve the capacity of hospitals and communities across the country to prepare for public health emergencies.
More...
Gerber foods exposed to "infestation" at FEMA warehouse in Fort Worth, TX
July 7th, 2008
FEMA issued a one-sentence solicitation notice last week indicating that it needed to dispose of 478 pallets of "contaminated food products" sitting in a warehouse in Fort Worth, TX.
But, when pressed by GSN for more details, FEMA eventually said its original description of the food as contaminated was "inaccurate" and that a large quantity of Gerber finger foods and snack packs originally intended for the children of Hurricane Katrina victims had been "exposed to infestation hazards" and would be "destroyed through our normal GSA disposal process."
FEMA said, "No one consumed the food."
FDA to issue grants to enhance state and local "food defense"
July 1st, 2008
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a new grant program under which it plans to award up to $40,000 to each of six different state or local food regulatory agencies to develop innovative ways to integrate food defense strategies -- aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks on the food supply -- into more traditional food safety and inspection methodologies.
DHS issues biolab environmental impact statement
June 23rd, 2008
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate issued late last week the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Draft Environmental Impact Statement (NBAF Draft EIS) for public review and comment
HHS to transport across Maryland lab personnel exposed to bio-agents
June 23rd, 2008
Here’s a note that might scare you.
In the unlikely event that biomedical laboratory personnel working at Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD, are exposed accidentally to infectious bio-agents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to transport those exposed workers 37 miles away, for treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.
BioNeutral reveals promising results from anthrax-killing product test
June 16th, 2008
BioNeutral Laboratories Corp., based in Newark, NJ, announced positive results from laboratory tests of the company’s Ygiene formulation, a product designed to kill anthrax spores on contact.
