Bioterrorism (Health and Safety) Articles

The Inverse Scattering Problem and Solutions for Addressing Bioterrorism

Abstract The immediate warning of a bioterrorist attack in progress will reduce its effectiveness significantly. However, concern for the serious economic consequences of false positive alarms, has resulted in a predominant emphasis on identification-based detection concepts. These, in turn, require that the collected agents be biochemically analyzed or tested. Because of the great number and ...

Jul. 26, 2019

By Wyatt-Lorenz, LLC

Mold Control Information Series – Article #5

Cleaning Mold-Containing Surfaces Once a determination is made that a moldy surface can be cleaned instead of removed or demolished, what cleaning agents are effective in removing or killing the mold? Many factors influence the selection of a cleaning agent, such as: 1) The type of surface to be cleaned. Is it hard such as cement or sheetrock? Soft, such as cloth, fabric or wallpaper? ...

Apr. 19, 2019

By Atlantic Environmental, Inc.

Biotoxis qPCR detection kit is now available!

Bertin Instruments has just released Biotoxis, its new all-in-one qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) kit which enables multiple simultaneous pathogen detection: B. anthracis, Y. pestis and F. tularensis. These highly dangerous pathogens are considered to be the first potential biological weapons leading to lethal infection. In a context of global bioterrorism, the Biotoxis kit is ...

Apr. 17, 2019

By Bertin Instruments

Developing consumer-focused risk communication strategies related to food terrorism

An essential component of food defence, consumer-focused risk communication strategies related to food terrorism (FT) threats should reflect an in-depth understanding of consumers’ perceptions, priorities, and information needs related to those threats. To support development of communication strategies, we used a mental models approach to risk communication method to design, conduct and analyse ...

Sep. 19, 2011

By Inderscience Publishers

Assessing the terrorist threat to the food supply: food defence, threat assessments, and the problem of vulnerability

Within a historically-informed framework utilising the related concepts of capability and intentions we identify and critically assess three core assumptions underlying the concept of food defence: In doing so, we find that food defence is largely driven by perceptions of vulnerability, the effect of which is a misperception in threat.Keywords: food defence, food supply, poisoning, terrorism, ...

Sep. 19, 2011

By Inderscience Publishers

Cleaning mold containing surfaces

Once a determination is made that a moldy surface can be cleaned instead of removed or demolished, what cleaning agents are effective in removing or killing the mold? Many factors influence the selection of a cleaning agent. 1). The type of surface to be cleaned: Is it porous? Hard such as cement or sheetrock? Soft, such as cloth, fabric or wallpaper? Absorbent and thick such as rugs, carpet, ...

Jul. 5, 2010

By Atlantic Environmental, Inc.

Facility location and multi-modality mass dispensing strategies and emergency response for biodefence and infectious disease outbreaks

Mass dispensing for medical prophylaxis and treatment of the general population requires rapid establishment of a network of dispensing sites and health facilities that are flexible, scalable and sustainable. In this article, we describe a systems approach to analyse mass dispensing of countermeasures, and present a set of powerful modelling and computational tools to assist in strategic and ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

Enhancing biosecurity through early recognition and reporting of public health risks: meeting the challenges of the revised international health regulations

The revised international health regulations recognise the importance of shortening the time from a disease outbreak to its detection and notification to the international public health community so that effective responses that enhance global biosecurity can be taken. The new international health regulations aim at requiring countries to issue alerts early enough so that responses can be ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

Material control and accountability for laboratory biosecurity

Laboratory biosecurity refers to a suite of measures to protect legitimate stocks of dangerous pathogens and toxins from being acquired by individuals with malicious intent. Intentional misuse presents a different problem than accidental misuse, which is the subject of laboratory biosafety. In particular, the material control and accountability (MC&A) component of laboratory biosecurity addresses ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

Pathogen security: the illusion of security in foreign policy and biodefence

'Pathogen security' (sometimes called 'biosecurity') is too often seen as the primary strategy to combat bioterrorism. Asserting that materials, technologies and expertise for bioterrorism are available worldwide and that terrorist groups are increasingly able to obtain and disseminate infectious disease pathogens, advocates contend that pathogen security systems and practices are central to ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

Terrorism, biosecurity and endogenous risk

Bioterrorism and infectious disease are biosecurity threats that can be modelled as biological invasions (e.g. alien species), incorporating the concept of endogenous risk from the environmental economics literature, i.e. that human behaviour may alter, deliberately or unintentionally, the likelihood and severity of these threats. Application of this modelling approach to investment strategy in ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

The meaning and practice of biosecurity

This special issue demonstrates the breadth and range of topics subsumed under the term biosecurity. It also makes apparent that this diversity of topics is a challenge for developing a coherent view and approach to biosecurity. Though my initial desire was to provide a measure of coherency to this topic and to this special issue, I increasingly came to question whether an overall unified view of ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

The future of biosecurity

The future of biosecurity will be determined by international scientific and political responses to the rapid worldwide expansion of genetic engineering technologies in infectious disease research, and by implementation of cooperative global surveillance and public health response policies to control the emergence of new strains of natural disease organisms. Effective responses will depend on a ...

May 27, 2009

By Inderscience Publishers

Detection of Bacillus anthracis spores in postal and environmental samples in cases of suspected bioterrorism

From October 2001 to the end of 2004, a series of postal samples containing material suspected of containing Bacillus anthracis spores were examined. Environmental samples from dwelling places of some addressees and laboratory areas, including equipment, were also examined. Classical culture methods for isolation and identification were slightly modified and conformed to environmental samples. ...

Nov. 8, 2007

By Inderscience Publishers

Eclox Rural Water Association Helps Assure Water Security Statewide with Rapid Response Water Test Kit

The ability to rapidly monitor the quality of U.S. source water for contamination has never been more important than it is in today’s security-sensitive environment. The Delaware Rural Water Association (DRWA), located in Milford, Del., is a non-profit trade organization, one of 47 state affiliate members of the National Rural Water Association. The mission of the DRWA is to improve the quality ...

Jun. 1, 2006

By Industrie De Nora S.p.A. | De Nora Water Technologies

Increasing human security through biotechnology

In this paper, we examine the bright and dark, the light and shadow of emerging technologies through the lens of human security. Human security is becoming increasingly debated and discussed in global governance circles, but not yet in relation to emerging technologies. The threats and opportunities to attaining human security in various domains – disease, hunger, environment, poverty and ...

Feb. 10, 2006

By Inderscience Publishers

Cross-contamination issues during a biological emergency response effort: lessons learned

Response Team investigators from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), recognised the potential for Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) cross-contamination during recent emergency response activities in the Capitol area. The three case studies presented offer the opportunity to examine procedural response practices ...

May 11, 2004

By Inderscience Publishers

Bioterror Worries Spark a New Wave of Safety Regulations

Untitled Document Food Safety is a key element in the war on bioterrorism. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, enacted in June 2002, specifically requires food facilities to register and to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with “prior notice” of imported food shipments. On Oct. 10, 2003, FDA ...

Feb. 1, 2004

By Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

FDA Gets Tough: Fears of bioterrorism have sparked a new wave of safety regulations for the food processing industry. You can expect the government to take these rules very seriously.

Untitled Document Food safety is a key element in the war on bioterrorism. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, enacted in June 2002, specifically requires food facilities to register and to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with “prior notice” of imported food shipments. To view the full article click here ...

Jan. 1, 2004

By Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

The Application of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation to Control Transmission of Airborne Disease: Bioterrorism Countermeasure

Synopsis Bioterrorism is an area of increasing public health concern. The intent of this article is to review the air cleansing technologies available to protect building occupants from the intentional release of bioterror agents into congregate spaces (such as offices, schools, auditoriums, and transportation centers), as well as through outside air intakes and by way of recirculation air ducts. ...

Mar. 1, 2003

By E-CO

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