scholarly journals Towards Protecting Critical National Assets and Preparedness for Response to Hazardous Chemical, Biological and Radiological Attacks

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-265
Author(s):  
Rakesh Kumar Sharma ◽  
Sudha Rana ◽  
Natarajan Gopalan
Keyword(s):  
Threat Perception ◽  
Mustard Gas ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Historical Building ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Hazardous Chemical ◽  
Critical Facilities ◽  
State Actors ◽  
Nerve Gas ◽  
Nerve Gas Agents

Hazardous chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) materials are catching attention of unscrupulous actors for creating terror and havoc. Threat perception for use of such materials by terrorists and non-state actors for malicious purposes, is not imaginative but real and imminent in today’s context. World has witnessed a number of such incidences in the recent years, e.g., Mustard gas attack against Kurdish forces in Iraq; ricin laced letters sent to US President and others senators; use of Nerve gas agents in Syria; capturing of Uranium from University of al- Mousal, Iraq by IS, etc. National assets like critical buildings where main legislative, historical building, Hospitals are some of the likely targets for CBR attacks attract quick coverage by media. Authorities related with managing and safeguarding mechanisms of the facilities to prevent such events happening also to enhance their capabilities as well as effective response. Essential CBR security should include measures to rapidly detect and effectively deter the CBR incidences their deleterious consequences. In this review, protection of the critical facilities from CBR attacks and capacity in terms of infrastructure, specialised training and mutual aid have been discussed.

scholarly journals Formation and breakdown of the alliance between state and civic forces in post-2013 Egypt: a state-in-society approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazen Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Threat Perception ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
State Actors ◽  
Elite Interviews ◽  
The One

Purpose This paper aims to examine why the alliance formed between non-Islamist forces and state actors to oust Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013 broke down quickly. Design/methodology/approach This paper makes use of original data set derived from three waves of surveys fielded in 2011, 2014 and 2015 that ask questions about public threat perception. Around 10 elite interviews were also conducted to further test the study’s hypothesis. Findings On the one hand, non-Islamists, civic forces challenged the status and interests of state actors in a way that made state actors view them with heightened distrust. On the other, many civic forces, in face of high threat perception, prioritized law during and order after Morsi’s removal, driven – at least partly – by shifts in public attitudes. Originality/value Many views look at transitions in the Arab world from the angle of how Islamists interact with traditional power holders. Such an approach, however, could be reductionist in many ways because it disregards civic forces. This is a point this paper seeks to address.

scholarly journals Facile Fabric Detoxification Treatment Method Using Microwave and Polyethyleneimine Against Nerve Gas Agents

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2861
Author(s):  
Woong Kwon ◽  
Changkyu Kim ◽  
Jiyun Kim ◽  
Jongwon Kim ◽  
Euigyung Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Half Life ◽  
Chemical Warfare Agents ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Nonwoven Fabric ◽  
Microwave Curing ◽  
Polypropylene Fabric ◽  
Warfare Agents ◽  
Amine Groups ◽  
Nerve Gas ◽  
Nerve Gas Agents

Generally, detoxification fabrics are defined as fabrics that remove or inhibit the production of toxic compounds, especially chemical warfare agents such as nerve gas agents. They are usually prepared using a complicated and time-consuming method. This study suggests a facile treatment method for preparing detoxification fabrics against nerve gas agents using polyethyleneimine and microwave curing. The detoxification properties of polyethyleneimine and microwave-treated polypropylene nonwoven fabric were evaluated using diisopropylfluoro-phosphate, which is a nerve agent simulant. The treated polypropylene fabric decontaminated 53.6% of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) in 2 h at 32 °C, and the half-life of DFP on the surface of the treated fabric was 122 min. The result indicates that the treated fabric can act as a basic organocatalyst for the DFP hydrolysis and has a shorter half-life owing to the large number of amine groups. Therefore, the facile treatment method has the potential for use in the preparation of detoxification fabrics.

Disaster behavioral health capacity: Findings from a multistate preparedness assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Megan Peck, MPH ◽  
Tai Mendenhall, PhD ◽  
Louise Stenberg, MPH ◽  
Nancy Carlson, BS ◽  
Debra K. Olson, DNP
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Interagency Coordination ◽  
Trained Interviewer ◽  
State And Local

Purpose: To identify gaps in disaster behavioral health, the Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (PERL) at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health supported the development and implementation of a multistate disaster behavioral health preparedness assessment. Information was gathered regarding worker knowledge of current disaster behavioral health capacity at the state and local level, and perceived disaster behavioral health training needs and preferences.Methods: Between May and July 2015, 143 participants completed a 31-item uniform questionnaire over the telephone by a trained interviewer. Trained interviewers were given uniform instructions on administering the questionnaire. Participants included county- and city-level public health leaders and directors from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.Findings: Findings demonstrate that across the three states there is a need for improved disaster behavioral health training and response plans for before, during, and after public health emergencies. This study identified perceived gaps in plans and procedures for meeting the disaster behavioral health needs of different at-risk populations, including children, youth, and those with mental illness. There was consistent agreement among participants about the lack of behavioral health coordination between agencies during emergency events.Value: Findings can be used to inform policy and the development of trainings for those involved in disaster behavioral health. Effectively attending to interagency coordination and mutual aid agreements, planning for effective response and care for vulnerable populations, and targeted training will contribute to a more successful public health response to emergency events.

scholarly journals Toward a detoxification fabric against nerve gas agents: guanidine-functionalized poly[2-(3-butenyl)-2-oxazoline]/Nylon-6,6 nanofibers

RSC Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (25) ◽  
pp. 15246-15254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Bin Ying ◽  
Sohee Kim ◽  
Min Woo Lee ◽  
Na Yeong Go ◽  
Hyunsook Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Warfare Agents ◽  
Chemical Warfare ◽  
Nylon 6,6 ◽  
Warfare Agents ◽  
Nerve Gas ◽  
Nerve Gas Agents

A novel guanidine-functionalized polymer, poly[2-(3-butenyl)-2-oxazoline] (PBuOxz), has been co-electrospun with Nylon-6,6 to form fibers that could be used for the decontamination of chemical warfare agents (CWAs).

scholarly journals Chemical Weapons: The United Nations Team of Experts in the Iran-Iraq War

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-42
Author(s):  
U. Imobersteg
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Iraq War ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Chemical Weapon ◽  
Mustard Gas ◽  
Chemical Agents ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Nerve Gas

AbstractThis report from a member of the United Nations (UN) team of experts describes the investigations of the use of chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq War. The UN-sponsored team of experts discovered evidence that clearly showed the use of three chemical weapon substances during that conflict—Yperite (Mustard Gas), Tabun (nerve gas), and Phosgene (respiratory irritant). The effects of these chemical agents and some means of treatment for victims are described.

scholarly journals Advances in Global Industry Response Capability for Source Control

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitch Guinn ◽  
Craig Castille
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
International Association ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Source Control ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Global Industry ◽  
Industry Response ◽  
Different Response

ABSTRACT Within a two-year period from 2009 through 2010, two major loss of containment incidents were experienced by the industry - Montara and Deepwater Horizon/Macondo. The reputation of the industry and its ability to self-regulate were questioned. Proposing a relief well as the primary recovery option was challenged, and after the failures of initial recovery efforts at Macondo, the US Dept. of Interior imposed a drilling moratorium to allow for the development of more effective response technologies. Several operator-led initiatives were commissioned: ExxonMobil initiated the establishment of the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) with Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips as founding members. MWCC was initially configured for large companies with multi-disciplined resources to support a full-scale response.Noble Energy and other operators, together with Helix Energy Solution Group (HESG), established an alternate option to MWCC that was built around the mutual aid model. Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG, and later just HWCG, LLC) was better adapted to the needs of small to mid-sized companies.The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) established the Global Industry Response Group (GIRG), consisting of its worldwide membership of oil and gas producers, and tasked it with developing a plan to address the response deficiencies discovered during the Macondo incident. The initial GIRG report (May 2011) launched the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP), which was charged with developing a design basis for subsea capping and containment systems.The GIRG report also founded the Wells Experts Committee and its Subsea Well Source Control Response Sub-committee which now acts as an industry center for knowledge and sharing.The SWRP was founded and led by nine of the world's largest oil & gas operators and upon project completion, Oil Spill Response, Ltd. (OSRL), was selected to manage the capping and containment equipment.In addition, some operators and multiple well control organizations developed a variety of additional capping stacks and debris removal equipment packages. During development, response equipment and systems were risk-assessed and tested via tabletop exercises. Knowledge was shared across the industry, and as the new equipment packages became physically available, a range of full-scale exercises were conducted which included physically loading aircraft and vessels and deploying equipment on abandoned wells. This paper steps back through the careful forethought in the development of these systems and shares some insights and strategic thinking behind the rationale of different response options and how they are strategically located to provide a global response.

Interactive Effect of Dispositional Cognitive Avoidance, Magnitude of Threat, and Response Efficacy on the Persuasive Impact of Threat Communications

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Nestler ◽  
Boris Egloff
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Cognitive Avoidance ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Response Efficacy ◽  
Internet Study ◽  
High Threat

This internet study investigated the effect of individual differences in cognitive avoidance on the persuasive impact of threat communications. A total of 289 participants completed a measure of dispositional cognitive avoidance and read either a high- or a low-threat communication that provided either an effective response to reduce the threat or not. We found that cognitive avoidance did not moderate the effect of magnitude of threat when response efficacy was low. By contrast, cognitive avoidance was relevant when efficacy was high: After a high-threat message, low cognitive avoiders reported more favorable attitudes toward and intentions to adopt the action recommendation than high cognitive avoiders. Further analyses showed that severity perceptions mediate this effect of avoidance on attitudes and intentions. Individual differences in cognitive avoidance are thus an important moderator of the effectiveness of threat communications.

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