Chemical terror attack

A more elaborate and deadly attack, this time a chemical terrorism attack by members of the Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese apocalyptic cult, was carried out in the Tokyo subway system in March 1995 (Olson 1999). It was suspected by international intelligence agencies that Aum Shinrikyo was working to develop biological and chemical weapons, but not until they killed 12 and severely injured thousands more by releasing sarin gas were they taken seriously. 

At the St. Luke s International Hospital, one of three cardiopulmonary arrest victims and two respiratory arrest patients recovered fully and have been socially rehabilitated. This is important and shows that triage in cases of chemical terrorism must be different from that used in large-scale natural disasters. In the latter case, if respiration does not resume after establishing an airway, then trauma victims are generally labeled with a black tag and not treated further (Hodgetts and Porter, 2004). However, in a chemical terrorism attack caused by a nerve agent, medical care should be actively provided to patients with cardiopulmonary or respiratory arrest recovery by such patients is clearly possible. 

D. T. Lawrence and M. A. Kirk, Chemical Terrorism Attacks Update on Antidotes, Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am., 2007, 25, 567-595. 

The main problem connected with chemical terrorism is that beside chemical weapons, terrorists can use different toxic chemicals from the chemical industry, the agriculture or products released from industrial facilities following a terrorist act. An attack on a chemical plant can immediately release a number of different kinds of chemicals [6], Some differences exist between chemical weapons (CW) and the chemicals released after destruction of a chemical plant following a terrorist act [4] ... 

Thinking about the chemical terrorism, it is necessary for the terrorists to know how to prepare and perform the attack. 

The response to chemical and biological warfare weapons, terrorism attacks, and even influenza mini-epidemics can require an immense number of federal/state/ county/city/private workers and medical personnel ranging from physicians to registered nurses to emergency medical technicians and paramedics. As an example, the writer has actually seen an incident where thirty-one agencies from all levels of... 

The terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 increased the international community s awareness of the threat posed by non-conventional forms of terrorism, including chemical terrorism. Several national statements referred to the importance of universahty, full... 

Falkenrath, R. A., Newman, R. D., Thayer, B. A. (1998). America s Achilles heel Nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism and covert attack. Cambridge, MA The MIT Press. 

In June 1994 and again in May 1995 the Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo created much havoc when they released the deadly nerve agent sarin in two Japanese cities. In the first attack in Matsumoto, Japan, sarin vapor was released in a residential area where judges unfriendly to the cult resided. Seven people died as a consequence of this nerve agent exposure, and 500 people were injured. The 1995 attack occurred in the Tokyo subway system. Several coordinated releases of this potentially deadly vapor resulted in more than 5,000 visits to local emergency departments. Fortunately, the vast majority of exposed victims had few if any symptoms and there were only a handful of fatalities (Tucker, 2006 for further discussion, see chapter 19—Biological and Chemical Terrorism A Unique Threat). 

The Tokyo subway sarin attack occurred in 1995, following the Matsumoto sarin attack, and served as a wake-up call for anti-NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) terrorism policy throughout the world. In the 10 years since the attack, efforts to combat NBC terrorism have focused on rapid and effective measures to respond to attacks employing nerve agents such as sarin. 

Shortly after the Anthrax attacks in the fall of 2001, Robert Taylor, MD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health Science University, had the wisdom and foresight to include a chapter on the Family Physician s Role in Responding to Biologic and Chemical Terrorism in the Sixth Edition of his Textbook, Family Medicine, Principles and Practice. 1 am thankful to Dr. Taylor, who graciously asked me to write the chapter. 

Biological and Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 16-18, 27-164. 

Falkenrath, R.A., Newman, R.D., and Thayer, B.A., 2001. America s Achilles Heel Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 

---