CBRNe December 2018

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CBRNe WORLD
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December 2018
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VOLUME 13 ISSUE 6
DECEMBER 2018
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Requiem for a town Remember my prayer Dearly beloved

The chemical attack on Taza Pandemic flu 100 years on Ongoing BTWC acrimony
Thwarting enemy attacks
Securing perimeters
Neutralizing emerging threats
Stopping drones
Protecting our troops
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CBRNe December 2018 vPress:CBRNe December 2018 vPress 20/12/2018 14:28 Page 1
Leader
“The easiest of all predictions for 2018 is that when I sit down
to write this column in 12 months’ time, we will have lived
through another poster year for CBRN!”
Leader, CBRNe World 2017 – 6
‘You weren’t fricking kidding’ is the closest version of what I
thought when I re-read my Leader from 2017. Even 12 months
In March the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, announced
that 'anything Iran can do, we can do better’9 and with the proxy
war in Yemen working through one depressing stage after another
that has not changed. Articles in The New York Times10 and The
National Interest11 have both showcased how the Trump policy
towards Iran has effectively meant that there is little chance of a
ago the world seemed a safer place and that was when we were rational disarmament treaty being promoted towards Saudi
still standing on the edge of a DPRK/US nuclear precipice. I am Arabia. There might even be tacit approval to build a nuke. On the
aghast at how much has happened in a year, and the only thing nuclear stage 2018 has been a rollicking year, and 2019 is going
that stops me going overboard with that is the recollection that I to be even better.
felt exactly the same last year. So let’s all remind ourselves what There has also been an embarrassment of riches on the
has happened. chemical side. March saw the first use of a fourth generation agent
It was a year of largely failed nuclear deals with North Korea, in the attempted murder of the Skripals and the manslaughter of
Iran and Saudi Arabia. In an ‘I can’t believe I am writing this’ Dawn Sturgess. Even the term novel threat agents was couched in
mode, let’s start with the easiest – North Korea. Following 2017’s whispers, so when the prime minister, Theresa May, came out and
rhetoric there was a sudden volte face on behalf of both leaders named the causative agent as Novichoks there was a collective
and suddenly a summit was in the air. This had been long inwards gasp from the CBRN crowd – she said the name that
requested by North Korea as a symbolic vindication of the Kim mustn’t be mentioned!! Much time and effort was expended in
regime, but previous administrations had been against it on repeating the Wikipedia page in as many different ways as possible,
grounds of human rights and other violations. Trump, but for a long time it seemed like not a lot was happening. The plot
determined to stamp his mark on history, ploughed ahead and had always been bizarre, but then with the naming of the persons
finally had his Singapore summit. of interest, it took a steep turn into farce. Like Litvinenko before
This, for all its gaudy historicity (and stock footage them, it looks like there will not be a prosecution over the death of
propaganda videos), fundamentally achieved nothing other than Ms Sturgess, the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal and
confusing regional partners. For a vague denuclearisation the attempts on the lives of Charley Rowley and PC Nick Bailey.
promise that has not been fulfilled, the US offered a way back Ironically the lack of that prosecution has made it much more
from the cold and a cessation of military exercises. This managed likely that there will be other attempts in the future. A
to persuade the Japanese that they might no longer be able to combination of stalling on international efforts to get greater
expect US support, and saw a record increase in their defence clarity over the Syrian attacks and the announced use of Russian
budget1. Meanwhile South Korea, no longer shackled by US agents on UK soil, got a resolution through in the 4th Special
nuclearisation concerns, is pushing towards fulfilling its own Session of the OPCW12 starting the process of attribution in
goal of peace and prosperity in the Korean peninsula2. As usual chemical attacks. It is still too early to guess what this resolution
the relationship between DPRK and the US is characterised by will mean, whether it will see the Russians split off from the
misunderstanding, and whatever benefits might have been taken OPCW and start their own organisation, but it is fair to say it
out of the Singapore summit have been squandered, while the absolutely won’t lead to any prosecutions of Syrian army officers.
reversion to previous policies has shown the whole process to be We shall have to wait for the ramifications to come out in 2019,
confused and ineffective3,4,5. but they are unlikely to be positive.
At least with North Korea there is a process towards Bio seems to be building up in the tail end of the year with an
denuclearisation, Iran went from one policy (joint comprehensive Ebola epidemic in the Congo seemingly being missed by the
plan of action or JCPOA) to nothing at all. The US pulled out of media [Guess it’s not Insta-friendly! Social media aware Ed.].
the JCPOA and imposed sanctions6 meanwhile the remaining Synthetic bio also raised its head with a reported use of CRISPR
members of the P5+1 half-heartedly went about trying to keep to create HIV resistant human babies… sadly this event was also
Iran ‘honest’. This has proved nigh on impossible, as ballistic lost by the media. Out of NBC it was certainly nuke and chem
missile tests7 and the ongoing war in Yemen, combined with US that took the plaudits in 2018.
intransigence, has meant that Iran is on the brink of returning to As for 2019 predictions… wow, it is impossible to know
an active nuclear programme8 undermining all the efforts of the where to begin. The safe bet, however, is on the likelihood of
past years. Previously just Iran was making noises about joining CBRN budgets remaining the same, if not going down. However
Israel in the Middle Eastern arm of the nuclear club, but a great the threat gets it is hard to avoid the old NoBody Cares
combination of factors means that Saudi Arabia is looking to soubriquet, and the money will go down and the threat will go
open a branch too. up in 2019. You read it here first!
1
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/31/japan-record- africa/420727-iran-confirms-important-test-of-ballistic
defence-budget-north-korea-china-threat 8
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970922000650
2
https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/whos-driving-the-wedge-into- 9
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/saudi-crown-prince-
us-south-korea-relations/ threatens-to-build-nuke-as-kingdom-seeks-nuclear-tech.html
3
https://www.38north.org/2018/11/shecker112818/ 10
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/world/middleeast/saudi-
4
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/north-korea-still- arabia-nuclear.html
working-at-main-nuclear-site-un-watchdog-10962026 11
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/why-saudi-arabia-
5
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/world/asia/north-korea- will-acquire-nuclear-weapons-37197
nuclear-talks-us.html 12
https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2018/06/cwc-
6
https://www.cfr.org/article/return-us-sanctions-iran-what-know conference-states-parties-adopts-decision-addressing-
7
https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north- threat-chemical
CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada
www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 1

CBRNe December 2018 vChanges:CBRNe December 2018 vChanges 21/12/2018 10:26 Page 2
Contents 1-7
Leader,
25-28 CBRNe Convergence
Contents, Canada
News
Toxic at best
Massive attack: DTRA’s Bot Tox
Colonel Mahmoud Delli on medical CM
the Taza chemical attack
8-12
Chemical attraction:
29-31
Jeff Brodeur on the Iraq Taking Stock:
chemical clean up John Hart and Thomas Stock
on China’s ACW
14-18 32
Facing the inevitable: Biologically incompatible:
Gwyn Winfield on the The recent BTWC meeting
Spanish legacy of state parties
19-21 33-37
Unseasonal Flu: Bringing the band together:
Professor Oxford on the state Terrence Allen, from FEMA,
of preparedness for Pan Flu on their role in an incident
22-24
Published by Falcon Communications Limited
38-43
Contact Details:
Editor Business Marcoms For Sales: CBRNe World
Gwyn Winfield Development Manager +1 443 605 2583 Suite 26, Basepoint,
Manager Zoe Rutherford david.levitt@cbrneworld.com 1 Winnall Valley Road,
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Tony Denton Brian O’Shea gwyn.winfield@cbrneworld.com LinkedIn: cbrneworld
2 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

44-48
Advertiser Index
ADS, Inc. 45
Airboss Defense 9
Skin deep:
Zoe Rutherford on whether Argon Electronics 39
SPMs are evolving
Battelle IFC
Biofire Defense OBC
CBRNE Convergence Canada 25-28
Is it something I ate? CBRNe World Asymmetric

Dr Andy Karam on a quick
and dirty rad assessment Stadium Threats 37
49-51
Cristanini 41
Decon7 Systems 15
Federal Resources IBC
First Line Technology 11
Flir Systems 7
Capability profiles Gasmet 35
52-55
Kaercher Futuretech 47
Metrohm 43
NBC-Sys 31
Proengin 13
Prairie Dog CBRNe World (ISSN No: 2040 - 2724, USPS No: 000 -
138) is published bi-monthly in February, April, June,
56
August, October & December by Falcon Communications
Ltd and distributed in the US by Asendia USA, 17B S
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prohibited. Any correspondence should be addressed to The Editor, CBRNe World. We acknowledge the assistance and hard
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Falcon Communication Ltd. Photos are credited individually, non attributed articles are from the CBRNe World archive.
©Falcon Communication Ltd 2018. Front cover image by Rhys Wootton.

CBRNews
GLOBAL CBRN THREATS AND ACTIVITY
Our threat overview picture (above), shows a selection of incidents in the last two months that have been added
to our online news feed: www.cbrneworld.com/news. Twitter - @cbrneworld and @chembiotroll
THREAT WATCH Slobodan Praljak Court Suicide US Accuses Iran of breaching CWC
A bit of a Boo Boo The Mechanism for International In November Kenneth Ward, the U.S.
An Amazon warehouse worker was left Criminal Tribunals announced in envoy to the OPCW, informed the global
in critical condition and more than 20 November that despite an extensive chemical warfare watchdog that the US
others were being treated at hospitals investigation, they have been unable to believes Iran to be in breach of the
after and automated machine determine either in what way, or at CWC by failing to declare a production
punctured a can of bear repellent at a what point in time, Slobodan Praljak facility for the filling of aerial bombs,
New Jersey fulfilment centre on Dec. 5. obtained the potassium cyanide with and maintaining a program to obtain
The puncture released the chemical which he killed himself during his banned toxic munitions. Ward’s
capsaicin leaving at least 54 workers verdict reading in November 2017. The allegations come during growing
exposed, 24 of whom were transported investigation in to the matter has been pressure on Iran from President Donald
to five local hospitals. closed after prosecutors determined Trump, who has withdrawn from the
that “no criminal acts were committed 2015 Iran nuclear deal and introduced
Raving Mad during the incident”. several rounds of unilateral U.S.
On December 5th it was reported that sanctions.
Chernobyl had been repurposed as an Measles Outbreak
art installation space and rave venue! The CDC announced in the first week of Nevada suing US in bid to block plan for
Kiev artist Valery Korshunov is the December that 220 cases of measles plutonium shipments
mastermind behind Artefact, an art have been confirmed in 26 US states, Nevada is suing the federal government
exhibit and dance party held in more than half of which have been in a bid to stop plans to ship plutonium
Chernobyl’s radioactive exclusion reported in New York. This number cross-country next year from South
zone. Ravers were provided with compares to only 120 cases for all of Carolina to the nation’s former nuclear
protective suits and personnel from 2017. The main reason for the increase proving ground north of Las Vegas. In a
the Ukrainian military were on hand to in Europe, where 41,000 people were statement Tuesday, outgoing Gov. Brian
provide Geiger readings. One reporter infected in the first six months of Sandoval and Attorney General Adam
who documented the debut rave said 2018, was the refusal by parents to Laxalt repeated a vow that the state will
it was reminiscent of a zombie have their children vaccinated, the fight “at every level” the U.S.
apocalypse film. WHO stated. Department of Energy plan to store

radioactive bomb-making material at anti-aircraft shells out of production Flu Express

the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. since 2014 when a box was dropped A recent study conducted by
and exploded. Unfortunately, this is the researchers at the University of Bristol
Serial pipe bomber second time such an incident has has found that passengers who live in
The man who allegedly mailed 16 occurred at this facility, two years ago, a boroughs with higher rates of flu like
improvised explosive devices to people blast there killed 18 people. illness tend to spend more time on
who have vocally opposed President trains and cross paths with more people
Donald Trump, was indicted in October Pop goes the chlorine tabs when using the tube system. One
facing charges of using weapons of A Texas woman has pursued legal action example showed that during the study
mass destruction. Cesar Sayoc is after allegedly suffering injuries from an period Islington had one of the highest
charged with five federal crimes exploding bucket of jumbo chlorine rates of flu like illness among London’s
"interstate transportation of an tablets. The suit claims the bucket’s lid 32 boroughs, passengers from Islington
explosive"; "illegal mailing of explosives"; was sealed and stored correctly, but have less access to multiple lines and
"threats against former presidents” and when the plaintiff lightly brushed the frequently change trains at King’s Cross
certain other persons"; "threatening handle while house cleaning, the St. Pancras, one of the Underground’s
interstate communications"; and product “exploded in her face without busiest stations.
"assaulting federal officers". Sayoc was warning.” The explosion blasted the
transferred to New York for trial and plaintiff with toxic chemicals, caused
remains in custody until that time. loss of consciousness, and she claims PRODuCT WATCH
that she lost her vision as a result of Two for the price of one
Water of Mass Destruction? the explosion. A team of researchers has engineered a
A foreign student doing doctoral virus nanoparticle vaccine against
research at Auckland University into Tokyo No-No Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and Yersinia
water quality is under investigation by Residents in Musashimurayama, a pestis (plague). Two doses of this vaccine
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) who suburb to the west of central Tokyo, are provided complete protection against
allege his studies could be used in the not happy about plans for the National both inhalational anthrax and pneumonic
development of WMD. Issues first arose Institute of Infectious Diseases to plague in animal models. The study is
when he tried to renew his visa, import samples of some of the world's published in mBio, an open-access
prompting INZ to begin a nine-month deadliest viruses in a bid to understand journal of the American Society for
long investigation. INZ stated that while them better amid fears of an influx of Microbiology. "This dual anthrax-plague
studying water quality might appear foreign visitors. Samples of Ebola, Lass vaccine is a strong candidate for
benign, some of the courses have "dual- and CCHF, are among those they plan to stockpiling against a potential bioterror
use purposes". At this point the import, which residents voiced their attack involving either one or both of
investigation is ongoing. disapproval of in a public meeting these biothreat agents," the researchers
arranged by the Ministry of Health, noted in the study.
Ebola continues Labour and Welfare.
As of December 10th the number of Japan developing vehicle mounted IED system
Ebola cases in DRC continues to rise CRISPR Baby! Japan is developing a vehicle-mounted
with the WHO reporting 500 cases, 289 A scientist in China has claimed to system designed to remotely detect IEDs
of which have resulted in death, giving have created the world’s first gene along roads in urban and suburban
this outbreak a current case fatality rate edited babies using CRISPR Cas-9. areas. The system, which was shown
of 58% and making it the second The claims were made online by mounted on a Japan Ground Self-
largest, and second deadliest, ever Chinese scientist He Jiankui that twin Defense Force (JGSDF) utility vehicle,
recorded. The virus continues to spread girls had been born with DNA altered uses microwave and millimetre-wave
into other regions, but one thing that is to make them resistant to HIV. He also radars coupled with infrared (IR)
of puzzlement at the moment is the claims that his lab had been editing cameras to detect IEDs ahead of the
vehicle: either on the road surface or
infection ratios. So far females account embryos' genetic codes for seven
buried in the ground. The system gathers
for 61% of all confirmed and probable couples undergoing in-vitro
data from these sensors to generate a
cases, and children for 25%. fertilization. The Chinese government
3D data map pinpointing the location of
has ordered an immediate
the detected IED.
Smallpox faux pas investigation into the claim as experts
A Colorado pizza company went worldwide voiced outrage at the use of New agent against anthrax
somewhat over the line with their the technology in this way. A team led by Professor Arne Skerra at
Thanksgiving advertising this year when the Technical University of Munich (TUM)
they released an ad’ showing a woman Lax security has developed an innovative strategy for
holding a pizza box in front of a A recent study conducted by the preventing the anthrax bacterium from
kneeling native man wearing a United Nations has found that only 19 absorbing iron, which is crucial for its
headdress and saying "Sorry about all countries completing their safety survival. It does so by neutralizing a
the smallpox. ..... Who wants a slice of check have built or shown strong special iron complexing agent produced
pepperoni?" Smallpox ranked among the biosecurity safeguards. No countries by the bacterium. Because the anthrax
most destructive diseases brought by meet the highest standard for pathogen only spreads in the body when
European settlers. biosecurity. According to the Nuclear it receives access to the essential
Threat Initiative (NTI) a lack of robust element, this is expected to provide an
2nd time is not a charm controls increases the chances of a effective treatment against the life-
An explosion at an ammunition dump in “catastrophic” biological event. The threatening infection.
India killed six, and injured 10 people in UK has yet to complete the checklist,
November, underscoring concerns over but the Department for Health said it USAF fields new Joint Service Aircrew Mask
the country's handling of military had completed a pilot version in 2015 The US Air Force has started to field its
equipment. According to The Times of and been found to have “a strong Joint Service Aircrew Mask (JSAM) for
India staff were disposing of Russian baseline position”. helicopter aircraft as part of a larger

effort to shield its personnel against with the U.S. Army will examine if it can final adoption of these Standards
contamination from WMD. The JSAM be given at the same time as the vaccine. expected in the US, UK and worldwide
provides better protection against CBRN in 2019.
contamination, specifically enhanced eye, Radar love
skin and respiratory protection from Apstec announced that their human Leidos Awarded Contract to Help Eliminate
hazardous air. The mask also integrates security radar has been selected by Chemical Weapon Stockpiles
with night vision goggles, requires no Esenboga Airport in Ankara to be able to Leidos have announced they have been
aircraft modification, has joint service differentiate in hidden packages in high awarded a contract by the DOD, worth
commonality, and a six-fold increase in throughput areas. The system uses $118 million, to provide the
battery life. active centimetre wave technology to administrative and technical services
discriminate between benign substances necessary to support the U.S. chemical
Just a little prick and explosives. These signals are then weapons stockpile demilitarization
In November the FDA announced that overlaid onto a video and security facilities. The single award, cost-plus-
it had granted an emergency use personnel are easily able to identify the fixed-fee contract has a one-year base
authorisation (EUA) for a rapid, single- individual and the location of the hidden followed by nine option years. The Leidos
use test for the detection of Ebola. package. They were a new one on CBRNe team will deliver services for the
This is now the second Ebola rapid World staff, so find out more on them via systemization, operation, and closure of
antigen fingerstick test available under http://www.akbateknoloji.com/wp- these demilitarization facilities.
EUA. The test, called the DPP Ebola content/uploads/2017/05/akba-hsr-
Antigen System is however, the first data-sheet-2016-2.pdf Arktis Brings Innovative Readout Devices to
that uses a portable battery-operated Homeland Security Market
reader, which can help provide clear Drone Swarm Jammer Arktis Radiation Detectors has deepened
diagnostic results outside of On October 12, MyDefence co-hosted the its relationship with BrightSpec NV/SA,
laboratories and in areas where event Electric Storm to demonstrate the signing an exclusive license agreement to
patients are likely to be treated. capability of their latest Counter UAS distribute the BrightSpec Compact
products for dismounted soldiers. The Digital Multi-Channel Analyzer (‘bMCA’)
AirBoss to deliver PPE to ADF event featured a live demonstration of in the US Homeland Security market.
Leidos Australia has awarded a contract the detection and jamming capabilities Arktis has previously deployed
to AirBoss Defense for the delivery of of the Wingman 103 drone detector and BrightSpec bMCA technology for gamma
protective equipment to the Australian the Pitbull Counter UAS jammer. During detection, on its deployed fleet of vehicle
Defence Force’s (ADF) Land 2110 Phase the event, five drone operators attempted radiation portal monitors and in US
1B programme. Under the deal, worth to execute a coordinated drone attack. government test programs. The new
$11m, Airboss will be responsible for The coordinated attack was effectively agreement allows Arktis to ensure that
providing Leidos with critical personal neutralized using the Pitbull Counter they are able to actively compete as open
protective equipment to support the ADF UAS jammer, and all drone operators lost source architecture becomes more
CBRND programme and will cover the control of their drones. common in rad sensors.
delivery of protective gear such as
gloves, overboots, and the recently New patrolling robots to eradicate petrol Endeavor Reveals Scorpion UGV
launched Low Burden Mask (LBM). plant explosions Endeavor has revealed design details and
Autonomous robots fitted with tiny images of their Scorpion Robot which
UK to procure nuclear and radiological detection chemical sensors that listen to the was designed for the US Army’s
vehicles ‘sounds’ coming off gases will instantly Common Robotic System-Individual
Counter terrorism officers in the UK are detect gas leaks in petrochemical plants (CRS-I) program. Announced in April,
to be equipped with a fleet of up to 10 and pipelines to dramatically improve Endeavor is one of two finalists now in a
nuclear and radiological detection disaster responses. A group of EU run-off to provide the Army with a new
vehicles in a bid to trace weapons-grade researchers are exploiting new multi-mission, ‘back-packable’ UGV
materials in the UK. techniques to positively identify a leak in weighing less than 25 lbs. Potentially
The Home Office lodged a milliseconds. The multi-discipline worth more than $400 million, the
procurement notice stating they are consortium, calling themselves contract to build up to 3,000 robots is
inviting bids for between five and 10 ‘REDFINCH’ (or mid infraREd Fully scheduled to be awarded early next year.
“modern vehicle-based gamma and Integrated CHemical sensors) have If the Scorpion will be used by Explosive
neutron radiation detection systems for combined light together with sound to Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Infantry and
various national security and radiological increase the detection sensitivity of the other Soldiers to help our military take
and nuclear counter-terrorism activities.” wavelength ‘fingerprint’ of a gas so that on tomorrow’s challenges today.
This procurement activity relates to the it can be positively identified.
CONTEST commitment to continue to NIOSH Invites Manufacturers to Add Fentanyl-
strengthen the UK’s existing radiological World’s first ever drone Standards Protective Products to PPE Database
and nuclear detection capabilities. On November 21, 2018, the world’s first In October NIOSH invited manufacturers
ever drone standards were released by to take part in an expansion of the PPE-
Siga and USAMRIID the International Standards Organisation Info database by adding products that
Siga Technologies have entered in to an (ISO). These new, long awaited, protect against fentanyl exposure. NIOSH
agreement with the USAMRIID to study standards have been developed after is expanding the PPE-Info Database as a
the post-exposure prophylactic use of several years of global collaboration tool to connect existing protection
TPOXX. The Cooperative Research and between standards institutions from standards with relevant PPE information
Development Agreement (CRADA) allows across the world. The ISO Draft for protection against fentanyl and its
SIGA to work with officials at USAMRIID International Standards for Drone analogues. This new aspect of the
to conduct animal studies under Good Operations are formally released today NIOSH PPE-Info Database will allow end
Laboratory Practices as required by the for public consultation, with drone users to find products that are compliant
U.S. FDA. As a therapeutic designed to professionals, academics, businesses (as confirmed by manufacturer) with the
treat smallpox infection, TPOXX has a and the general public being invited to protection standards outlined by the CDC
wider window of efficacy and the studies submit comments by 21 Jan 2019 with Fentanyl PPE Guidance.

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CBRNeWORLD Colonel Mahmood Jasim Delli, manager of the Iraqi CBRN department in the Iraqi Civil
Defence Directorate, talks to Gwyn Winfield about doing your best with what you have
The Taza
Incident
M
any of us in the northern When Daesh moved
hemisphere are Powerpoint into the area the
warriors. We are used to the population of Taza
same opening slides, with minor swelled, and the
variations, showing the progression from original inhabitants
Aum Shinrikyo through to Amerithrax banded into local defence
and then Litvinenko… and we are all units and fought ISIS,
prepared for the ones in the future that largely successfully, for two
will have the Skripals on them. These are years before they were
the CBRN ‘stations of the cross,’ each targeted with mustard agent
perfectly contained vignette has been filled rockets.
studied from every angle, details are On 8 March 2016 the civil
fetishised and there is much wise defence centre in Kirkuk received
nodding as the lessons learned are a call from Taza stating that the
presented to the crowd for adoration. area was being targeted by rocket
It doesn’t always work that way. Iraq, artillery, not surprising in itself
Syria and Turkey have spent the past six as the city had been shelled
years under chemical attack from one many times. The local
faction or another. These occur in the firefighters, rescuers and
middle of combat against ill-prepared EOD responded to the
individuals, both civilian and military, various attack sites, with
and it might be many days before their police and civil defence
story is told to a CBRN aware individual. support, to start evacuating the
Some of these, the big ones like wounded. Within three hours of
Ghouta and Khan Sheikoun, are this operation some of the
elevated to the pantheon but many that injured and the rescue
happen are poorly recorded yet still individuals had started getting
involve a significant number of blisters and itchy skin. It was
casualties, and due to a lack of Western clear that something had
journalists these stories are forgotten. happened, and a US
This fate hovers around the chemical Department of Defense
attack on Taza. (DoD) team at a
Taza city is north of Baghdad in neighbouring Peshmerga
Kirkuk province. It is a rural area camp was able to confirm that it
known for its natural beauty and much was mustard (HD).
of the population is involved in agrarian Col Delli and his
activities or providing services to the team were
farms and the staff. There was a police
station, civil defence centre and a
health centre in the city.
Iraq Civil Defense does CBRN defence in urban areas, while the Army is more focussed on areas of low population density ©DoD

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CBRNeWORLD
The Taza Incident
called up from Baghdad to respond to quality of the equipment was not fit for quality of the gas had been better there
the incident with the limited tools such a large scale mission. And after would have been far more fatalities. “HD
available. Arriving at Taza they found three days in level A PPE and working is not in itself a killer, but they were
that many of the injured had left the around the clock, Col Delli found affected by it, and many of the dead at
hospital and taken off to parts unknown. himself buying commercial chemicals the impact site were children.”
With an evolving situation and and dissemination systems to try and Since there were no other CBRN
numerous wounded it is no surprise mitigate the contamination. In addition trained individuals at the scene Col
that the health staff focused on to cleaning solutions and bleach his Delli had to manage the command and
immediate life-saving activities, rather team were also able to do controlled control of the incident and don PPE and
than concern themselves with the burns in some uninhabited locations. work at neutralising the mustard with
blisters and the threat from secondary Col Delli stated that approximately the rest of the team. Equally, there was
infection that they posed. 600 people had been affected by the very little specialisation. As he put it:
His team immediately set to work, shelling, but due to the nature of the “Our job in the civil defence CBRN team
using a Thermo Trudefender and first response and health records he was starts with recon and ends with decon!”
achieved a confirmatory analysis of the unsure how many of those had The Iraqi government has invested
samples. There were numerous symptoms of mustard burns. He heavily in CBRN preparedness since
contamination sites, but thankfully suggested that 70 died from injuries Taza and other incidents, so for Col
since the quality of the mustard was low involving HD, though some of these Delli it is hard to remember his lessons
neither the casualties nor the might have had underlying health learned as the way that he would
contamination was as bad as it could issues or other injuries from respond now has changed exponentially
have been. That said, the quantity and conventional rockets. He felt that if the when compared to how he did then.
Children were amongst the group most adversely affected by the attack. But not this fella from Kirkuk, he is A-Ok! ©DoD

CBRNeWORLD
The Taza Incident
“We need to be prepared before any equipped personnel! In addition to this and we also have the CBRN department.
incident. I now organise exercises with he has improved the communication Money is still a problem, but when Taza
each institution in major cities, they infrastructure and increased exercising happened we were one team with limited
have their own evacuation and rescue and awareness within all the provinces equipment and training. Now we have
plans and their own teams to deal with so they understand what a CBR event 15 teams, with more than 700 trained in
them until I and the national team can would look like. He admits though, that chemical, fewer trained in biological and
get there. This means fewer casualties this is only part of the process. “CBRN even fewer in rad and nuke, 99% of
and an easier job.” civil defence is more developed than ever them have science degrees, either in
In essence Col Delli’s lessons learned before. We have the environmental chemistry, physics or biology.
were: we need more trained and police, there is a department in Tikrit “The CBRN team is part of civil
defence, and as a civil defence team we
respond to incidents in civilian places,
unlike the army, which is why we need
to move more than them and have
greater capability in things like decon.
Most of the army incidents are on the
border, so they don’t care about decon,
but for the civilian areas we have to
consider that. Money is the problem and
while we have many new ideas and
thoughts about developing our
capability we struggle with funding. We
are hopeful that something will happen
in national policy in the coming years,
not months, though our capability is
better than it ever was before.”
The composition of the team is more
varied too, and wouldn’t look too
different from other leading teams, with
the scientists being complemented by
an EOD tech and a forensic scientist.
They are keen to train, and after our
interview Col Delli was off to the Czech
Republic, with much of it funded by the
US State Department, though some
comes via Interpol or the European
Centres of Excellence programme.
In terms of the future threats
chemical will still be the major concern
until Daesh is entirely rooted out and
their chemical stocks accounted for, but
he feels that some of the high visibility
events, like the annual pilgrimage to
Karbala is focussing attention on other
elements too. [Karbala is the world’s
largest annual public gathering,
attracting 30 million in 2016. Yes, you
read that right, 30 million people at an
annual event. Ever Religious Ed.] “The
most likely threat, by 70-80%, is
chemical, but my biggest concern is
biological. In Iraq we have many mass
gatherings, like the pilgrimage to
Karbala , and even though we have a
plan to deal with this situation it is a
Iraq is looking at all areas of CBRN defence, including improving security still a concern and we need to work
at TICs sites ©DoD closer together.”

CBRNeWORLD Jeff Brodeur, senior CBRN technical advisor at IB3 Global Solutions,
on evaluating the state of Mosul after Daesh retreated
Picking up
the pieces
IB3 Global Solutions entered new resources. This required a ‘figure it out’ device to provide early warning of a
mission space for private industry in a mindset as the project developed. chemical event. Getting back to basics
post CBRN conflict cleanup situation: Demining teams were vulnerable also mandated approaching the target
conducting toxic chemical surveys. The when manipulating an IED from a from up or crosswind of the IED.
company’s track record includes three distance. If they could not hear or see The next task was to develop field
operational deployments to Iraq and is vapour or liquid disseminate from a expedient personnel decon procedures
pending the start of operations in Libya. malfunctioning device, the team could using soapy water to remove a
Its small but capable CBRN team has very well walk into a toxic environment contaminant from the person. For the
been successful at complementing the when returning to retrieve the explosive. purpose of this project, no more than
Department of Defense’s (DoD) focus on Teams now emplace detectors and two operators would require decon for
weaponised systems by targeting the detector paper in close proximity to the any event. The simple five station
academic, medical, and industrial sources
of toxic and dual purpose chemicals.
This project contributes to the US
government’s nonproliferation campaign
to remove or secure sources from theft
and nefarious use. In Iraq, the priority is
to survey before families and businesses
repopulate recently liberated territories
to protect human life.
The initial call came in December
2017, with an urgent requirement for IB3
to immediately deploy CBRN expertise
and embed with demining teams to
develop force protection techniques in
the event of an explosive ordnance
disposal (EOD) operation unexpectedly
coming into contact with toxic chemicals.
The second task called for toxic chemical
surveys in former ISIS occupied
territories so that the government might
inform families and businesses of the
hazard and allow time for remediation.
I was deployed in January 2018 for a
nine week rotation. The urgent nature of
the deployment sacrificed time to
develop high fidelity information on who ‘Yeah, let’s store all the chemicals together in this leaking warehouse. I mean,
to coordinate with, or where to focus what’s the worse that can happen!’ Welcome to Mosul. ©J. Brodeur

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CBRNeWORLD
Picking up the pieces
procedure minimised equipment and tool of opportunity to disrupt the a team of CBRN experts to manage the
support requirements. When training repopulation and reuse of facilities. In more complicated surveys expected in
was complete it was time to migrate to addition, ISIS attempted to set fire to the industrial and medical sites.
the survey task. the first storey of high rise department The team consists of three CBRN
To kickstart the survey programme buildings. This left damaged equipment operators with individual and
the focus was on university chemical and facilities. Most laboratory equipment complementary skill sets. Augmented
laboratories within the greater Mosul was either pilfered or destroyed. Former with two or three EOD technicians,
area. ISIS first occupied Mosul and the academic institutions of excellence were combat medics, local drivers,
surrounding area in 2015 and the last now damaged and in need of significant interpreters and an armed personal
remnants were displaced January 2018. repair, while seeded with IEDs. security detachment, the team travels in
With over 420 university laboratories None of this deterred the cadre of armoured vehicles with an instrument
having been under ISIS control for two professors and support personnel and personal protective equipment kit
years, the survey required a much responsible for the day to day operation that is specific to the project.
longer operational timeline that of the university. They enlisted family Equipment includes a five-gas sensor
planned. To date the team has surveyed and friends to clean so classrooms were that is primarily used to alarm when
about 42 laboratories with most in the 'safe enough’ to receive the next oxygen levels drop. While the oxygen
same deplorable condition. It appears semester’s cohort of students. sensor has yet to alarm, the carbon
ISIS used consolidated chemical storage Containers of chemicals were monoxide sensor has done so during a
facilities as a source to contaminate consolidated, and post occupation summer convoy in Mosul’s congested
facilities and terrain. Containers of inventory taking continues. rush hour traffic! The kit includes a
corrosive and flammable chemicals were The results of the first rotation personal radiation detector and a
dispersed in classrooms, pooled in generated the necessary funding for a handheld Raman analyser. Monitoring
laboratories, and thrown outside like a second rotation. This time IB3 deployed the non-kinetic / non-visual threat is a

CBRNeWORLD
major concern while both travelling and all the technical information required to On arriving at a survey site, the first
conducting surveys. determine the best method of achieving priority is a security and EOD sweep.
The team utilises two primary survey remediation or safe and secure disposal. When secure, the CBRN team
techniques: confirm/deny and technical In both cases, a handheld analyser is a dismounts, dons PPE, and begins the
surveys. Normally first, the confirm/deny critical component of the team survey. CBRN and EOD operate in
survey applies to suspect or unknown capability. With results available in teams. This allows for greater
sites where the team, limited in time, under two minutes on the tailgate of a manoeuvrability in a country scarred by
inventories all chemicals, randomly support vehicle, it negates the need for IEDs. Generally, a confirm/deny survey
samples, and develops a diagramed chain of custody, accountability, field will take no more than two hours. A
report of the size and scope of the laboratory backlogs, and misrouted technical survey can take a few months
hazardous material problem. The results results. In short, this new capability depending on size and complexity.
are used to collaborate with stakeholders allows private industry to provide The second rotation - June to August
on a plan of action for the future. Sites accurate and responsive results. 2018 - continued to work away at the
with no chemicals are reported and The team develop a technique to suit university laboratory survey list and
cleared for repopulation. the original design of most handheld started on medical and industrial sites.
The technical survey normally analysers. Instead of capturing liquid in Networking with leaders at all levels,
follows the results of a confirm/deny a vial, the team will swipe liquids and local, regional and national, offered the
survey. This requires complete likewise solids and powders, double bag team access to actionable information
accountability and inventory for all the sample and present to the and facilities. For medical sites, the team
chemicals, 100% sampling and instrument. This allows for more began with cancer centres damaged
presumptive ID inventory along with the efficient sampling and prevents beyond repair during the fight against
facility size and diagram are developed contamination and the need to decon an ISIS. Leaders directed the team to
and reported. The final report includes expensive instrument. cobalt-60 sources as a component of
While the security situation might be getting better, the legacy of ISIS occupation will take a long time to clear ©DoD

CBRNeWORLD
Picking up the pieces
IB3 Global CBRN team in Iraq; Centre: Jeff Brodeur Centre left: Laima Warnecke Centre right: Juan Pepi ©J. Brodeur
radiation therapy devices. While a individual distribution, it was now a What is the return on investment
facility’s state of disrepair would prevent vacant and insecure inventory source of so far?
moving the device, removing and dual purpose chemicals. Notable among 1. Discovery and collaboration for the
stealing the source remains a concern. the inventory the team discovered secure storage of seven gamma sources.
As Mosul engages on an aggressive approximately 92,000gallons 2. Interdicting 92,000 IEDs before they
reconstruction campaign, time to safely (348,258litres) of glycerin, an explosive reached the street.
secure sources is limited by the precursor. It took several visits to
wrecking ball and dozer operators who accurately estimate the volume of Once a mission space monopolised by
lack CBRN awareness as regards debris chemicals, as in addition to the glycerin defence forces, private industry is
removal [Yikes! Ed.]. approximately 210,000lbs (95,250kg) of capable of augmenting military surveys
The team was advised to visit a chemicals in both power and granular in a post conflict semi permissive
recently liberated pharmaceutical plant states remained part of the inventory. environment. When armed forces are
north of Mosul. From the outside the In November IB3 returned a team to concerned with mobility and weaponised
team saw no indicators to suggest that Iraq to conduct phase I of the pharmacy threats, private industry can now survey
this site was anything but another dry plant technical survey. This includes industrial, academic and medical
hole, a site that originally was home to developing an operational plan, activities to provide greater fidelity on
toxic chemicals, but after years of contingency plans, and conducting a the non-kinetic threat overlay.
combat, pilfering and weathering would rehearsal. Simultaneously, IB3 deployed
be just another casualty of war. Four a subject matter expert to north Africa Jeff Brodeur served as a CBRN officer
hours later the team ended the first of to train an international team to begin for 30 years retiring as the assistant
many visits. chemical surveys in Libya. commandant for the US army CBRN
It turned out the site would IB3 Global solutions designed a school. He has spent the past four
represent the perfect upstream team and capability specific to the years in private industry supporting
interdiction scenario. Once a requirements of post conflict government contracts from DHS, DoS,
government owned and operated facility situations. The SOP generated for and DoE.
to receive bulk supplies and repackage company use change slightly with Jeff.brodeur@ib3global.com
everything from Chapstick to aspirin for every project and activity. www.ib3global.com

Gwyn Winfield looks at what a reprise of 1918 flu
CBRNeWORLD
would mean to developing parts of the world
Disease eleven
H
ad you been around 100 years of viruses, and diagnosis by treatment toll from Spanish Flu is anywhere
ago, you would have known provided confusing results (Flu was between 50 million and 100 million
someone who died of respiratory believed to be bacterial, but often people. Within a period of weeks at least
illness. They might have started off with individuals also had respiratory bacterial as many people died as in the six years
a typhoid or even plague diagnosis, infections, and these were eased by the of world war two and potentially as
drifted into bronchitis and then, in treatments). Different cultures had many as in both world wars, the Bengal
many cases at least, diagnosis would end different names for the disease and the famine and pretty much every other
and grave digging would begin. The flu mass death that it engendered, it is only conflict in the 20th century.
epidemic of 1918 gained the soubriquet with the passing of time that the phrase The distribution of death is both
Spanish Flu, even though it did not Spanish Flu won out and became the disputed and unclear. The US, Germany,
begin there. Wartime restrictions on the cultural nomenclature. France and the UK had the best record
press meant people at large were The 1918 flu came in three waves keeping and the best health systems, so
unaware that all combatants in the many months apart, a relatively benign while they might not have had modern
Great War had been dragged wheezing first wave, the killer second wave and a anti-virals like Tamiflu a well trained
to the armistice, the media coverage of much weaker third wave (and some nurse had a good chance of keeping you
the event started in Spain and so the suggest there might even have been a alive until you were through the worst
name stuck. fourth wave). Where you were in the of it. Areas such as Brazil, Alaska, Iran,
The forces of Europe being mobilised world was directly related to when it Polynesia and China, were not prepared
for war meant that it wasn’t just soldiers appeared on your doorstep. The mass for normal outbreaks never mind one as
based on that corner of a foreign field, mobilisation of manpower that WW1 virulent as this, and in some places the
but also thousands of doctors. French delivered (including in non-combatants death rate was 90%. Since accurate
military doctors, for example, called the like China) was suddenly released and census figures for many of these
flu maladie onze, the British thought it many of the people traipsing down the countries are missing it becomes very
could have been many things, including tracks to their home towns were silently difficult to do a ‘before and after’ so
bronchitis. No one had an understanding allowing a wolf into the fold. The death many of the numbers have been
Much of the cultural images of the 1918 flu comes from the countries that were least affected ©DoD

CBRNeWORLD
Disease eleven
extrapolated from similar areas with impact that this event had, and it is a advantageous in developed countries;
better visibility. grim and vast tableau. others could find that a pandemic on
Part of the modern problem with the scale of 1918 would be a direct
our vision of the 1918 flu is that we It’s worse for the poor repeat of its progenitor.
believe we know what flu is, and that we What is apparent in Ms Spinney’s book
are much smarter than the average is that the flu wasn’t egalitarian. Not Haves and have nots
forebear. Yet the description of some of only was the world split geographically, Much of the work that is needed in the
the symptoms of Spanish Flu bears little with India expecting to have ten times developing areas of the world is the
to no resemblance to the sniffles that the death rate of the US, but also same basic health care that they have
come around every year. While many financially. She highlights research that been struggling to put in place for other
people did expire in their beds, suffering shows the poor were far more likely to pathogens. Key amongst these is public
familiar symptoms, other symptoms succumb than the rich. Much of this education, and this is something that
included massive nose bleeds and was down to access to healthcare, WHO and others have been doing, yet it
heliotrope cyanosis1, a discolouration of education and population density in rarely makes enough of a difference in
the skin or mucous membranes due to early 20th century cities. These figures dealing with the run of the mill
low oxygen saturation of the tissues have improved in some areas of the infections, never mind the ‘specials.’ In
near the skin surface. Doctors followed world, with the passing of 100 years, but many countries flu also has an image of
the progression of this with concern, very little in others. A slum in Delhi or being a relatively benign illness, it is an
red was fine, mauvey-blue was a bad a favela in Sao Paulo in 2018 might now umbrella term used for a respiratory
sign and once black appeared at the have an electric light, and even wifi, but infection; nobody has even said ‘I have a
extremities and worked its way inward these offer no real protection compared touch of Ebola’ if they have a fever and
there was little hope. Miscarriage was to basic health education and a good diarrhea. It is often forgotten that of the
another symptom; and after the fever distance from your neighbour. five million people that catch flu every
had broken there could be sleepy The continents that suffered the year up to 600,000 of them die3. The
sickness, depression and madness. lowest death rates for Spanish Flu were CDC and WHO have to always aware
Spanish Flu wasn’t so much North America, Europe and Australia and about each and every seasonal flu
seasonal flu with teeth, it was seasonal the highest mortality was in Asia and outbreak to ensure that something more
flu with nuclear weapons. As for the Africa. Information on the three most malign has not sneaked in, or that it has
second misconception, that we are populous countries at the time, China, not mutated. This genetic sequencing
much smarter now, there is a lot to this. India and Russia, whose combined work has to go hand in hand with the
We have a much clearer idea of populations comprised half the total public education piece, so that when the
vaccines, antivirals and disease world population is sketchy. India is balloon goes up they are able to ensure
mapping, but in other ways we are far estimated to have had around 18 million that their message is appreciated.
less able to deal with the kind of toxic deaths, the highest absolute number for In addition to the need for
shock that losing at least 10% of the any country, yet proportionally, it only consistent and constant public
population would bring. Preppers aside lost 6% of its population, whereas education (something that was missing
we are much less prepared societally Western Samoa lost 20-24% of the in the 2014 Ebola outbreak) is the need
than we were in 1918/19. population. As Ms Spinney’s book goes to overcome the Anti-Vaxxer movement.
Much of the above is well known and into detail to point out, there are As the recent measles outbreak shows
part of the popular cultural history of multiple reasons for this disparity and there are always people willing to put
the flu. What is less well picked over is not all of them are socio economic. their families, friends and neighbours at
the impact on what we could call ‘non- Centres of population density a real threat in order to save them from
combatant World War One’ nations. As suggest that things haven’t changed a made up one. Control of social media
such I’d highly recommend Laura much in the intervening years, with will be key in any pandemic flu
Spinney’s Pale Rider (Vintage) as an cities such as Dhaka, Kolkata, Chennai outbreak as there will always be a core
eye-opening volume on the flu. Much of and Mumbai regularly in the top ten of of individuals more worried about mind
the academic and popular science has the most populous. Running water and control than death from influenza. The
naturally been focussed on those areas public sanitation2 are challenges that lessons from 1918 can sometimes seem
where there is the most data. As have not been met in a century, and it is very far away indeed.
previously stated, however, these are the unlikely that any new respiratory Then there is the more recent
areas that were spared the worst epidemic could be contained in an area experience of Tamiflu in the 2009
morbidity. Most of the chapters come which has still to achieve basic clean outbreak4. The panic that the strain
with a biographical vignette that looks running water and no open defecation. brought out saw runs on the antiviral,
at China, Brazil, Alaska, American The work that the Centers for Disease which meant, despite announcements to
Samoa or equally remote areas by early Control and Prevention and the World the contrary5 that some nations realized
20th century standards. Delving into Health Organisation are doing in both that ‘we might not all be in this
primary sources she brings out the detection and treatment will be most together.’ Indonesia, for example, in

CBRNeWORLD
Fun fact, every flu article has to have a photo of Camp Funston to show the scale of the epidemic… but it doesn’t come close
to symbolising the impact on other parts of the world ©DoD
2007 decided that it would stop sending variety targeted the strong, rather than showed that there was greater severity
samples of H5N1 to the WHO labs the old, the individuals that are in the Americas that there was in
because they felt that the chances of essential to the running of a country or Europe and Australia, for example. The
them benefitting from whatever product a company, meaning there can be no reasons for this might not be fully
their samples engendered was small6. In business as usual. What then are the understood, and might vary from
the past ten years efforts have been history lessons for agencies wanting to pandemic to pandemic, but
made to improve this relationship and learn from the past? fundamentally some countries will bear
the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness The first has to be prevention and the brunt of pan flu in a way that others
Framework7 is now in place which is containment. Flu vaccines need to be don’t. Thirdly that effective public
improving things. continually improved as the one obvious health starts with trust. The population
The trouble with Spanish Flu is that step that is going to make handling a needs to understand the risk and realise
it all happened in black and white, it future pandemic easier8. Secondly it has that their best chance lies in
belongs to a period of history that is to be realized that impact is not the compliance with professionals and not
framed and covered in dust. We need to same all over. A variety of factors meant in mysticism10. Finally it has to be a
ensure that complacency doesn’t set in that the impact in developing countries collective solution, it has to not only be
and we believe that we could overcome was far greater than in the developed a whole of government approach, but a
it in ‘business as usual.’ The 1918 ones. A recent Imperial College study9 whole of globe approach.
1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanosis 7
https://www.who.int/influenza/pip/QA_Flyer.pdf
2
http://unicef.in/Whatwedo/11/Eliminate-Open-Defecation 8
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/first-universal-
3
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza- flu-vaccine-to-enter-phase-3-trial-65073
(seasonal) 9
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/
4
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4375804/ journal.pmed.1001558
5
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/health/02drug.html 10
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2018-05-22-
6
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2008/07/ superstition-stopping-ebola-victims-from-seeking-
indonesia-details-reasons-withholding-h5n1-viruses medical-care/

CBRNeWORLD
Professor John Oxford, formerly professor of virology at
Queen Mary Hospital and founder of Retroscreen Virology,
talks to Gwyn Winfield about preparing for pandemic influenza
There’s lots
of it about
P
rofessor Oxford was one of the pandemic flu killed up to 100 million The difficulty with the H1N1/1918
leading voices warning about people [more information in the strain is that the death toll was such
pandemic flu before that became previous article Ed.]. that, in many cases, it caused
popular, along with Professor It would be wrong to suggest that something close to societal collapse.
Taubenberger in the States and a few no-one is thinking about pandemic Today, society is in some ways less
others. The human beast can only be influenza. The US went through a resilient than it was a hundred years
frightened by one pathogen at a time, sustained period of preparation for it, ago. In 1918 many of the northern
and while Ebola and Zika, have been even to the extent of bringing the hemisphere nations had been through a
recent agents du jour it wasn’t so long military to the countermeasures and cataclysmic war that had provided them
ago that respiratory diseases such as response table. What’s missing is a with a sense of community resilience
SARS or bird flu held this role. sustained, whole of government and their economies were geared to
Professor Oxford predates these trends, approach to such preparation. Generally total war. Those nations that were not
and while he might have hove back into if anyone has a plan it is public health, in the same development bracket, or
view because of the centenary, there is but a pandemic like that of 1918 will lacked a government controlled
no doubt that by the time we are rapidly overwhelm any economy tended to come off second best
worried about Nipah, or whatever 2019’s ministry/department specific response against the flu.
fashionable fearmonger is, he will be and once that happens you need to Modern society is largely lacking
back at his life’s work. implement everything else you might both these factors, and even worse, in
Professor Oxford is one of the flu have prepared… or not. many countries the burden of care has
detectives who eventually managed to Professor Oxford stated that this flu shifted from being a private matter to a
get a sample of the original 1918 virus, flirtation is not uncommon. “Over the public responsibility. In the UK for
albeit with some false starts along the years I have fluctuated on this, and we example the burden of healthcare was
way1. As an authority on this, his need to be careful with our thoughts. It is on the individual in 1918, if you could
thoughts on the subject are worth easy to say it only happens ‘once in a blue afford a doctor or nurse then you got
knowing2 especially when the realisation moon,’ but when it does we have to deal one. In 2018 the NHS is (mainly) free to
comes that with every year that passes with a casualty [rather than fatality Ed.] all, and healthcare is paid for via
we get one step closer to the next list of 1 billion people! That includes all taxation. Spanish flu had a W shaped
pandemic flu outbreak and maybe to the those who died and everyone who almost morbidity curve, with the main wage
‘big one’. On average there are three flu died, and it takes you over 100 million earners the ones that were most likely
pandemics a century, yet we’ve had people within a year. That 1918 strain of to die from it, exactly the people that
Spanish flu in 1918, Asian flu in 1957, virus continued to cause death and fund the NHS for the rest of the nation
the Hong Kong version in 1968, Russian pneumonia up until the 1920s. Two other under the present system. A similar
flu in 1977 and (the geographically pandemics came, in 1957 and ‘68, and spread of fatalities in the near future
agnostic) H1N1 version in 2009. Next to then bits and pieces as genes from 1918 would have a massively negative societal
the Spanish variant the other flu returned and caused trouble. It all points impact on the UK, and other countries,
pandemics were particularly mild, to awesome figures that drown out any in a way that didn’t happen in 1918.
killing approximately a million people. other virus I know. We need to be very Prof Oxford agreed that the second
To put things into perspective the 2014 careful not to reach the conclusion that if and third order effects were difficult to
Ebola outbreak killed about 10,000 we stockpile Tamiflu, or whatever, ‘we model, some countries had made
people worldwide, in 1918-19 the will be ok’; I am not so sure.” inroads into mapping them… but not

CBRNeWORLD
Face masks to guard the public from your infection started in 1918. The US has started preparations for pandemic influenza ©DoD
all. “After the bird flu outbreaks in the Tamiflu with the 2009 variant, in that 2014 Ebola outbreak suggest that might
‘90s the World Health Organisation case some medication had to be thrown not be as straightforward as health
(WHO) persuaded everyone to get a away because it wasn’t kept at the right professionals would like. West African
plan. I have seen a lot of them and some temperature. Quite how big these societies responded with ignorance or
are half a page long while others run to problems will be depends on your view hostility to international efforts to
250 pages, there is lots of variation and of resilience in modern society. In some contain Ebola and Professor Oxford felt
some countries don’t take this seriously. respects the ability to purchase food that it was likely to be worse with
One of the reasons is that it can be over the internet and get it delivered influenza. “When bird flu started in
difficult to work out who actually runs means that modern wifi society might 1997-1998, I went out to see the
the country or company, as it’s not be able to cope better than the pre- Wellcome Trust in Vietnam, which
necessarily the CEO! Often you can get HTML generation. As Professor Oxford seemed to be the epicentre of the
by without the old person at the top, points out, however, if Amazon et al outbreak. I spoke to an emerging
but once the 20-25 year olds get can’t get drivers or whoever is needed to infectious disease person out there and
knocked off their perches you are into power drones etc, then you can’t really said this is how pan flu could be
serious problems.” depend on that capability. starting. He answered: ‘The most
Even among countries that take Biosurveillance is great at spotting important virus here is dengue. I don’t
pandemic flu seriously there are still the early appearance of a pathogen but see one case of flu, but everyday I see 50
problems. Professor Oxford pointed to it does rely on compliance from the cases of dengue, malaria or diarrhoea.’
what happened with the cold chain for region in question, and lessons from the In certain areas of the world respiratory

CBRNeWORLD
There’s lots of it about
infections seem small beer compared

with the more dramatic haemorrhagic
infections. Dengue, Zika or Ebola might
be more in your face, while a little
respiratory virus will kill off as many
people but they’ll die quietly in their
home and you’ll never know. We have
yet to decide how many people died in
1918, and I am going to Ypres in the
New Year and we will have another go at
getting the figure right, and the figures
are so large than 10 million people
could easily fall off the table.”
For Professor Oxford there is a
solution to the pandemic flu threat, but
he admits it is not a popular one with
governments. “Personally I go back to
an editorial I gave on the Manhattan
project. Then, the Americans spent $6bn
and employed 250,000 people over north
America, purifying uranium etc. They
got a result in 18 months, with all these
scientists in Arizona and engineers
working on it. I said why don’t we have a
Manhattan project for flu, get an
international team together, and it could
The recovery of viable influenza virus from the 1918 variant allowed greater
be done like we landed on the moon or understanding of it, and what could be done to mitigate it ©CDC
eradicated smallpox or polio.
“I can’t see WHO managing to together. Once you set aside the matter response that’s needed.
coordinate the eradication of influenza, of the mortality, it was about We think we understand pandemic
it is a bigger cup of tea because of its concentrating great people and influenza as improvements in vaccines
natural reservoir. Polio didn’t have a chucking money at them… and then and antivirals come along regularly, and
natural reservoir outside of humans, something comes of it. America these retard the necessary commitment
and neither did smallpox, but with bird wouldn’t lead it now, they are not - but do we? In 1918/19 flu killed
flu you have to deal with 15 million international enough in the way that approximately one hundred million
migrating avians and how they move they were, so you would have to think people in months. Should - or when -
into farming communities. Stopping the about someone like China. They could it strikes again it will be too late for
flu from moving from a migrating goose be the host nation, and army people are people because of the need for
into a domestic one is not insoluble, as pretty good at that kind of thing, the sequencing and for the necessary
you just need to prevent them money comes from whomever. The vaccine to become available. This feeling
wandering around the fields of Picardy whole idea, however, is difficult for of ‘it probably won’t happen’ shouldn’t
and Norfolk, but it would mean people some to swallow.” be new to CBRN, which has long
keeping a look out as we did for foot and It is hard to fault the logic of struggled with being the insurance
mouth. It can be done if there is a will Professor Oxford’s suggestion. Once premium that people will avoid paying
but it needs to be applied globally and you start looking at the pandemic flu if they can, but the only thing that
needs a Manhattan sized project. problem you realise that anything matches a reprise of 1918 would be a
“When I suggested this in my other than ‘big picture’ measures will significant nuclear exchange. Perhaps
editorial for The Lancet they said it had just be tinkering at the edges. Only a what is needed for pan flu is the same
to go, that I was completely mad! Yes, wholesale fix will do, with all the level of political attention and funding
the Manhattan project made a bomb unpleasantness and cost that comes that the strategic deterrent has, yet with
that most likely killed over 200,000 with it. Unfortunately the threat seems ‘near misses’, like the 2009 epidemic,
people immediately, but it also created just too nebulous and remote, and the not forcing governments’ hands it’s
great science by getting everyone solution too costly to spark the hard to see what else will.
1
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/secrets-of-the-grave-1200930.html
2
https://hstalks.com/t/2707/controlling-pandemic-flu/

CBRNe December 2018 Ottawa pages v3:CBRNe December 2018 Ottawa pages v3 20/12/2018 14:14 Page 1
CBRNe Convergence
Canada
Platinum Sponsor
16-17 April 2019, Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau/Ottawa
Canada has excelled in both civilian

and military CBRN for over 100
years. As part of the quadripartite
National CBRNE (AUSCANUKUS) it has both
RCMP Ottawa Fire Service
Team
delivered and benefitted from the
Speakers Include: latest scientific research and
l Sgt Alain Hudon, Section de
l Fire Chief Kim Ayotte, l'antiterrorisme et des mesures
military doctrine to deal with the
Ottawa Fire Service d'urgence, Service de police de CBRN threat. Now CBRNe World,
l Susan Rowsell, Section Head, la Ville de Montréal producers of the leading CBRN
Bio Threat Defence Section, l SSA Ed You, Biological event, CBRNe Convergence, will be
Suffield Research Centre, Countermeasures Unit, locating themselves in
DRDC FBI WMD Directorate Ottawa/Gatineau for three days to
l Samantha Ollerton, Rapiscan l Cindi Corbett, Director, provide a showcase for this
l S/Sgt Rob Wilson, NCOi/c, Bacterial Pathogens Division,
RCMP CBRNE Operations
learning. Bringing military, civilian
National Microbiology
l Richard Kitchener, Hazardous Laboratory, PHAC and scientific experts together it
Materials Team, Vancouver Fire l Ross Harper, FLIR will be a chance to learn from the
and Rescue Service l Casey Collins, Deputy to the best and take home a practical
l Ryan Gregerson, Biofire Commander, Joint Task Force understanding of how you can deal
l Staff Sergeant Daniel Martin, Civil Support, US with this threat, whether it be
Toronto PD l Colonel Marc Caudrillier, state or terrorist, better.
l Eric Damiens, Proengin Directeur, CNCME, France
For any questions or queries please contact

zoe.rutherford@cbrneworld.net
Don't miss out, book your place now at

www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada
CBRNe Convergence Conference Programme

Updates to the programme can be viewed at
CANADA www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada
Day One – 16 April
08.00 – 09.00 Registration, teas and coffees

Introductory Plenary
09.00 – 09.20 Kim Ayotte. Fire Chief, Ottawa Fire Service
09.20 – 09.40 S/Sgt Rob Wilson, NCOi/c, RCMP CBRNE Operations
09.40 – 10.00 DND Speaker, TBC
10.00 – 10.20 Cindi Corbett, Director, Bacterial Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, PHAC
10.20 - 11.00 Coffee & Exhibition
11.00 – 12.30 Demonstration by local, regional and national civil responders
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch & Exhibition
1.30 – 2.00 TBC

2.00 – 2.30 Sindy Carrier, VP Business Development, Airboss Defense
2.30 – 3.00 Christina Baxter, CEO of Emergency Response TIPS, LLC
3.00 – 3.30 Sam Ollerton, Forensic Scientist & Security Technology Expert, Rapiscan
3.30 – 4.00 Coffee & Exhibition
4.00 – 4.30 SSA Ed You, Biological Countermeasures Unit, FBI WMD Directorate
4.30 – 5.30 Ryan Gregerson, Product Marketing Manager, Biofire
5.30 – 6.00 Casey Collins Deputy to the Commander, Joint Task Force Civil Support
6.00 – 6.30 Eric Damiens, Proengin
6.30 7.30 Drinks reception
Day Two – 17 April
09.00 – 09.30 Greg Sayles, National Homeland Security Research Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
09.30 – 10.00 Col. Michael Chua, Director Hazmat Dept., Singapore Civil Defence Force
10.00 – 10.30 Susan Rowsell, Section Head, Bio Threat Defence Section, Suffield Research Centre
Defence Research and Development Canada
10.30 - 11.00 Coffee & Exhibition
11.00 - 11.30 Richard Kitchener, Hazardous Materials Team, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service
11.30 - 12.00 Staff Sergeant Daniel Martin, Toronto PD
12.00 – 12.30 Sgt Alain Hudon, Section de l'antiterrorisme et des mesures d'urgence
Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch & Exhibition
1.30 – 2.00 Katleen De Meulenaere, Adviseur, Technical Manager CBRN, DLD & Dirk von Rompaey Belgian MoD
2.00 – 2.30 Dr Ross Harper, FLIR
2.30 – 3.00 Colonel Marc Caudrillier, Directeur, CNCME, France
3.00 – 3.30 TBC
3.30 – 4.00 Coffee & Exhibition
4.00 – 6.30 Civilian leadership in CBRN defence

CBRNe Convergence Sponsors

Updates can be viewed at
Platinum Sponsor
AirBoss Defense
AirBoss Defense develops and manufactures class leading PPE that protects against CBRN and
environmental threats for the defense and first responder markets. Our products feature superior
ergonomics and comfort, while exceeding US and NATO requirements. An ISO registered,
manufacturer of technically advanced, highest quality, patented Personal Protective Equipment; Masks,
Over Boots, Gloves & Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs); rapidly deployable, durable
Articulating Framed Shelters/ Decontamination Consequence Management Shelter Systems, Contaminated Patient Transportation Devices
(ISOPODs), Filters and Thermal Targets & PPE are used by all branches/components in DOD, including the USMC Chemical Biological
Incident Response Force(CBIRF), National Guard CBRN first response units (CSTs/FSRTs/CERF-Ps/HRFs), foreign militaries, the FBI, CIA,
DOS, DOJ, DHS & civilian EMS units, hospitals and law enforcement. Our Negative Pressure Individual Isolation Transportation Systems (ISO-
PODS), are in use across the U.S. and 13 countries since the Ebola and MERS crisis.
Gold Sponsor
Since 1993, Rapiscan Systems has installed over 100,000 products in more than 100 countries. Our experts will help find the perfect security solution for
your needs. When searching for potential bomb making materials an advanced explosives trace detector is critical. The Rapiscan Detectra is an advanced
hand-held ETD system designed to detect a wide range of explosives.
When your operation must be economical, compliant and, above all, effective, you need a proven company that is driven by innovation and backed by a global
support network. A company like Rapiscan® Systems. Rapiscan Systems state-of-the-art products, solutions and services meet the most demanding threat
detection needs at airports, border crossings, railway stations, seaports, government and military installations and high-risk facilities around the world.
Rapiscan Systems has installed over 100,000 products in over 100 countries worldwide. Our experts will help find the
perfect security solution for your needs. The Rapiscan Systems trace explosives/narcotics detection and radiation detection
portfolio of product are designed to meet the needs of the CBRNE mission with the most up to date technology.
With a customer centric approach to security, a comprehensive product line for end-to-end solutions, and global expertise
and support capabilities, Rapiscan Systems is truly one company - Total Security.
Silver Sponsors
At BioFire Defense we deliver a fully integrated First Line Technology designs, manufactures, and FLIR Detection is a leading supplier of field-ready
suite of biological agent identification products, supplies disaster preparedness and response products that accurately detect, classify, and identify
including the FilmArray system, and life science equipment like our medical ambulance bus (the critical CBRNE threats. Our multi-purpose products
systems to the biodefense and first responder AmbuBus), our PhaseCore Cooling Vests, and easily transition into new roles as the mission
community. Our contribution to society includes our line of decontamination equipment. Our changes allowing our customers to extract the most
products and ideas that speed up medical results, decon equipment includes FiberTect activated value for their dollar. We integrate mission-based
help people stay healthy and make communities carbon dry decon, a three-layer nonwoven user interfaces to expedite decision making for both
more secure. Simply put, we make the world a composite substrate for CBRN field operators and advanced technicians. Not only
safer and healthier place. Decontamination. We work with first do our advanced detection technologies provide
responders and the military to develop lab-quality confidence, the results are field-proven in
innovative products that make their jobs easer third party tests and in real life missions. We offer
and their lives safer. smart, simple, and selective products – no matter
where the mission takes you.
Levitt-Safety is a national provider of life, fire and Proengin develops and manufactures biological
environmental safety products and services. With
strategically located branches across Canada, Levitt-
and chemical warfare agents field detectors using
flame spectrometry: AP4C-handheld chemical
To discuss remaining
Safety is ideally equipped to serve companies of any detector for CWA, TICS and NTAs, AP4C-V
size or industry who want to create a culture of aboard wheeled, tracked, Unmanned Ground sponsorship
safety in their organization. As a leading safety Vehicles (UGV) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
provider, we proudly take a holistic approach to (UAV) reconnaissance vehicles, AP4C-F for critical opportunities or to
safety. After more than 80 years in business, we buildings and ships, MAB-for biological alarm,
understand that protecting your most important
assets is critical to your success. The safety of your
AP4C-VB and AP4C-FB for simultaneous
Chemical and Biological detection. Please visit us
exhibit please contact
employees and facilities goes way beyond products at www.proenginusa.com or www.proengin.com.
which is why we offer a complete range of safety- david.levitt@cbrneworld.net
related services.
or
james.ross@cbrneworld.net
CBRNe Convergence Exhibitors

Updates can be viewed at
Exhibitors
Agilent Technologies is a worldwide Argon will be displaying a wide variety of Decon7 Systems, LLC offers an H3D offers the world's highest-
provider of GC, LC, MS and Spectroscopy simulators for in service CBRN detection environmentally friendly two part, non- performance imaging spectrometers.
instruments, technologies, related equipment including the Smiths M4JCAD, toxic, non-corrosive decontaminant Quickly identifying and localizing gamma-
consumables, support, services, and M4A1 JCAD and a wide variety of engineered to neutralize the world’s ray sources with a single measurement,
workflow solutions that enable labs to Canberra / Mirion radiological detection greatest chemical and biological threats. H3D is revolutionizing how measurements
analyze, confirm and quantify substances of simulator. Also on display will be The Decon7 formula can be rapidly are performed.
interest with confidence while maintaining PlumeSIM, our instrumented Live training deployed and applied as a foam, fog, spray, Imagine a handheld detector with energy
the most stringent laboratory practices, system used by many of the world’s or mist to eliminate 99.99999% of all resolution near HPGe, but weighing five
from sample preparation to final report. leading CBRN training facilities including bacteria, viruses, spores, molds, and pounds and able to startup in minutes.
Learn more www.agilent.com. Ft. Leonard Wood. chemical & biological hazards. This is the A400. H3D also offers
instruments developed with DOD DTRA
NBC-Sys covers numerous technologies NUVIA Dynamics (formerly PICO Renfrew County Economic Development Visiontec Systems is a long-established
against nuclear, radiological, biological and Envirotec) develops and manufactures offers many services including business Canadian company specializing in CBRNE
chemical hazards providing military and cutting edge radiation counselling, business financing, community and infrastructure protection technologies,
civilian intervention products and services detection/characterization systems ideal economic development, seminars, products and services. Visiontec exclusively
for toxic hazards, collective protection, for undercover/remote operations, 1st workshops and online training. Serving represents premium manufacturers to
individual protection, decontamination, response or other CBRNe tasks. Armed markets worldwide, the region offers a serve government, military, enforcement
detections and sampling. www.nbc-sys.com with an advanced radioisotope diverse economic base of small and and commercial agencies across Canada.
identification algorithm, our systems can medium manufacturing plants, low Industry-leading products include: CBRNE
be configured for airborne, vehicles, drone, development charges, well priced industrial detection and identification, metal
robot, portable or backpack applications. land, a skilled labour force and proximity detectors, x-ray scanners, body scanners
Other CBRNe-related products from its to major markets. and decision support software.
sister entities are also available under the
NUVIATech Instruments brand.
CBRNe 2019
CoNveRgeNCe
5 – 7 Nov 2019
Nashville,
Tennessee
To discuss sponsorship
opportunities or to
Platinum Sponsor exhibit please contact
david.levitt@cbrneworld.net
or
james.ross@cbrneworld.net
www.cbrneworld.com/convergence2019
Hannah Feldman and Dr Chris Earnhart, joint project managers for medical
CBRNeWORLD
countermeasures and D Traci Pals, DTRA on accelerating the development
of botulinum toxin medical countermeasures using platform technologies
Toxic at Best
I
n September, the White House
released the 2018 National
Biodefense Strategy, a biennial
report that lays out the president’s
priorities for managing the risk of
biological agents. Biological threats -
whether naturally occurring, accidental
or deliberate - are among the most
serious risks facing the US and the
international community. Multiple
nations have pursued biological
weapons programmes and a number of
terrorist groups have sought to acquire
biological warfare agents.
One of the National Biodefense
Strategy’s goals is to ensure the federal
government is prepared to reduce the
impacts of bio incidents. The strategy
calls for prioritising the development
of platform and innovative technologies
that accelerate the development,
production, and availability of
medical countermeasures against
biological threats.
The Department of Defense’s (DoD)
chemical biological defence programme
is responding to this call to action
through the Joint Program Executive
Office for Chemical, Biological,
Radiological and Nuclear Defense’s
(JPEO-CBRND) Joint Project
Management Office for Medical
Countermeasure Systems (JPM-MCS),
along with the Defense Threat
Reduction Agency’s Joint Science and Adamant is developing medical countermeasures against botulinum toxin ©DTRA
Technology office (DTRA-JSTO). The warfighters from CBRN threats. The necessity may expose the warfighter to
initial research and early stage medical solutions JPM-MCS and DTRA- deadly emerging or engineered agents,
development of medical JSTO develop prevent disease, and current medical countermeasures
countermeasures against CBRN threats accurately diagnose exposure to may not be available to respond to
is provided by DTRA-JSTO, ultimately biological agents, and provide post these novel agents in a relevant
transferring products to JPM-MCS, exposure treatments that save the lives timeframe. The JPEO-CBRND, JPM-
which facilitates the advanced of US and allied service members. MCS and DTRA-JSTO are seeking to
development and fielding of the medical leverage platform technologies to
countermeasures. Platform technologies accelerate accelerate fielding of medical
Medical countermeasures include medical countermeasure development countermeasures to the warfighter, in
vaccines, treatments and diagnostic While known threats remain a line with the administration’s National
equipment that are critical to a priority, the threat environment is Biodefense Strategy.
multilayered defence strategy to protect constantly changing. Operational As defined by the president’s council

CBRNeWORLD
Toxic at Best
“Selecting monoclonal antibodies as

our first platform technology was an
easy choice. We are taking advantage of
the significant work already done by
industry to mature this technology while
adapting the products to the unique
needs of the warfighter,” said Ms
Rebecca Kurnat of JPM-MCS.
“Monoclonal antibodies are well known
to the FDA, with over 80 FDA approved
monoclonal antibody drugs available on
the market. This provides us with a
straightforward regulatory pathway
toward FDA approval, and allows us to
quickly develop medical
PRISM - Lyophilized BoNT AB mAbs are expected to get FDA approval in 2025 countermeasures with monoclonal
©DTRA based platforms.”
of advisors on science and technology system as a platform. The development The Adamant platform is currently
in 2016, a platform system can counter of any subsequent medical candidate is being established at the DoD’s advanced
a variety of threat agents using thereby greatly accelerated by utilising a development and manufacturing, or
standardised discovery, design, proven process. This standardisation DOD ADM, facility in Florida, its
manufacturing and testing technologies and repeated use of the platform builds dedicated manufacturing facility for
that may accelerate medical familiarly and confidence with the US medical countermeasures. The
countermeasure development. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA), botulinum toxin monoclonal antibody
platform provides a base structure for which reviews regulatory submissions. product being developed fully utilises the
different antiviral, antibacterial and This concept is being put to the test Adamant platform and manufacturing
antitoxin medical countermeasure by the JPEO-CBRND, JPM-MCS and processes established at the facility.
products. The system reduces DTRA-JSTO through investment in the
developmental risk and cost while advanced development and The threat of Botulinum toxin
accelerating medical countermeasure manufacturing of antibody technologies, There is a considerable need to develop
development and fielding to troops. or Adamant, platform to develop medical countermeasures against
Established platforms are also a rapid medical countermeasures against botulinum toxin. It is the world’s most
response capability to accelerate the botulinum toxin. Adamant is based on toxic poison and poses a major
manufacturing and development of monoclonal antibodies, which are bioweapon threat due to its extreme
medical countermeasures in the event manufactured human antibodies potency and lethality. A single gram of
of a national security emergency to engineered to bind and neutralise a the toxin disseminated via aerosol or
respond to novel threats in a relevant specific target. Instead of antibodies through contaminated food and water
timeframe. Rapid response platforms being made over time in the body either supplies could kill more than one
leverage well understood and by vaccination or following exposure to million people. There are eight types of
characterised technologies to deliver an infectious agent, these manufactured botulinum toxins, but types A and B are
safe and effective medical antibodies can be administered to serve the most likely to be engineered into
countermeasures to the warfighter in as a pre-exposure prophylactic or post biological weapons. The toxin affects
an emergency. exposure treatment. the nervous system, leading to
The first platform - proof of concept The potential of monoclonal paralysis, respiratory failure and death
The key aspect that enables platforms to antibodies to rapidly provide pre- in a matter of hours.
be used for rapid response is the use of exposure protection and post exposure Botulinum toxin gained public
standardised discovery, design, therapy makes them a valuable medical attention after a vial of the bacteria that
manufacturing and testing technologies. countermeasure technology to explore. produce the toxin was found by
JPEO-CBRND, JPM-MCS and DTRA- Monoclonal antibodies do not replace the investigators in Iraq after Saddam
JSTO are building that standardisation long term protection provided by Hussein was ousted. At the end of the
through an establishment and vaccinations; however, they do offer a 1991 Gulf War, Iraq claimed it had
validation process. In the establishment unique alternative in situations where produced 19,000litres (5,020gallons) of
phase, the first platform candidate is service members require rapid onset of the toxin, enough to kill the entire
run through the process to create protection or treatment. In a crisis global population, which was confirmed
standardised procedures and assays. A response, monoclonal antibodies offer the by an independent UN commission. The
second candidate is then run through unique ability to rapidly protect troops Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo attempted
the standardised process to validate that who have not previously been vaccinated. to disperse botulinum toxin on at least

CBRNeWORLD
three occasions between 1990 and 1995 developmental milestones and remains sufficient to support 8,000 to 16,000
at multiple sites in downtown Tokyo, on schedule to file an investigational doses. This product is expected to
as well as at US military installations new drug application in 2019 and begin receive FDA approval in 2025, which is
in Japan. phase one clinical trials in 2020. Several already much faster than traditional
proof of concept and nonclinical efficacy medical product development. After a
Development of a Botulinum toxin studies have demonstrated 100% second medical product is run through
medical countermeasure protection against high doses of the platform validation process,
The medical countermeasure being aerosolised botulinum toxin when the development time is expected to be
developed at the DOD ADM facility will medical countermeasure is delivered even shorter.
provide prophylaxis, or preventative intramuscularly. While threats remain, service
treatment, and therapy for warfighters The botulinum toxin medical members can rest assured that the
exposed to aerosolised botulinum countermeasure is being used as the JPEO-CBRND, JPM-MCS and DTRA-
neurotoxin types A and B. The drug establishment product for the Adamant- JSTO are actively working to protect
product is being designed with based manufacturing process at the them from biological warfare agents
improved logistics for the warfighter: DOD ADM facility. The standardised like botulinum toxin and accelerating
intramuscular administration rather manufacturing process is being set up development schedules to deliver
than traditional intravenous at the 500litre (132gallon) bioreactor products into the warfighters’ hands
administration to allow for use in and scale. Maintaining this production scale faster. By using the established
out of theatre, as well as a lyophilised, throughout the development stages procedures within the Adamant
or freeze-dried, drug product in order to eliminates the need for costly and platform technology, novel threats can
extend shelf life and maintain stability. lengthy scale up efforts and reduces be addressed as they arise to deliver
Since its development started, the significant risks. Each drug product medical countermeasures to the
botulinum toxin medical manufacturing batch is expected to warfighter in an operationally
countermeasure has passed a number of provide monoclonal antibodies relevant timeframe.
CBRNeWORLD John Hart and Thomas Stock* provide an update on destruction of

chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China following World War II
Is this yours? disbursed almost €1,86bn towards the
C
hina and Japan continue to operations at Wuhan were completed in
cooperate on the identification and project. Destruction operations are 2015 utilising two DAVINCH units to
destruction of chemical weapons carried out using controlled detonation destroy 264 ACWs.
abandoned by the latter on the territory chambers (CDCs) and static detonation Due to the increasing number of sites
of China at the end of World War II. The chambers (SDCs). with ACW, China and Japan have agreed
total number of confirmed abandoned A fixed major destruction site is to deploy a new high mobility MDF
chemical weapons (ACW), most of which located at the Haerbaling site, where two (HMDF) to destroy ACWs stored in the
are in Haerbaling, is more than 62,500 burial pits with ACW are located various storage facilities in throughout
items. China estimates that it has found (approximately 1300 km northeast of China. This resulted in a tender process
approximately 400,000 ACW items Beijing). This site comprises two in late autumn 2018 for an HMDF based
(‘pieces’) at more than 90 locations in 18 destruction facilities, and 5 ACW storage on SDC technology.
provinces. As of 31 May 2018 more than facilities. One facility uses the CDC China and Japan continue to
62,600 ACWs had been recovered of technology, while the other uses the implement their obligations under the
which 49,607 had been verifiably by the SDC technology. Both are regarded as 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention
Organisation for the Prohibition of test facilities and have been in operation within the framework of a 2016
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as destroyed. since 1 December 2014. As of November destruction plan. China and Japan
ACWs in China fall into three main types: 2018, approximately 150,000 ACWs had intend to accelerate their efforts to
smoke candles (c. 60%), 75 mm, 90 mm, been recovered at this site. In autumn destroy ACWs. In particular, Japan is
105 mm and 150 mm shells (c. 30%) and 2016 Japan issued a tender for the committed to accelerating the
components such as burster charges and construction of a largescale destruction destruction of ACW at the main site at
tubes, as wells as drums and aerial plant at Haerbaling utilizing CDC Haerbaling with a new large fixed
bombs (c. 10%). The chemical agents of technology which will result in an destruction facility going into operation
concern are the ‘yellow’ type (a mixture acceleration of destruction operations in 2022, as well an HDMF which is
of sulphur mustard and lewisite), ‘red’ with a starting date envisaged by 2022. scheduled to start operations in 2021.
type (diphenylchloroarsine or An estimated 3400 ACWs were expected Destruction operations at Haerbaling
dyphenylcyanoarsine) and ‘white’ type to be destroyed in 2018. China estimates may then take up to ten years to
(phosgene), respectively. that more than 330,000 ACWs are complete. The OPCW will continue to
Onsite investigations began in 1991. located at the Haerbaling site. provide support (as appropriate) to both
Excavation and recovery operations Mobile destruction facilities (MDFs) countries in order to facilitate and to
began 2000. To date, more than 130 have or will be carried out at six sites. As verify destruction operations.
operations have been carried out at more of November 2018 the MDF status was
than 50 locations. Operations in 2018 as follows. Site selection at Guangzhou About the authors
included excavation and recovery of was underway. The Harbin MDF was still *From 2005-2018 Dr John Hart headed
ACWs at Mudanjiang City, Jiamusi City, in the preparation phase. MDF the Chemical and Biological Security
Beian City, Shangzhi City (all in operations at Nanjing were completed in Project at the Stockholm International
Heilongjiang Province), as well as 2012 utilising two DAVINCH (detonation Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). He is
Haerbaling (Jilin Province). of ammunition in a vacuum-integrated currently seconded to the World Health
In principle, Japan covers the costs of chamber) units, developed by Kobe Organization (WHO) and is a rostered
experts and on-site personnel, any Steel, Ltd. of Kobe Japan, to destroy consultant to the Organization for
possible medical assistance that may 35,861 ACWs. MDF operations at Security and Co-operation in Europe
arise, the transportation and storage of Shijiazhuang were completed in 2016 (OSCE). Dr Thomas Stock is Director
ACWs, as well as the capital investment utilising a single DAVINCH unit to Business Development at Dynasafe
in the construction and operation of the destroy 2,567 ACWs. Site selection at Environmental Systems GmbH. Both
destruction facilities. To date, Japan has Taiyuan was underway. Finally, MDF views expressed are personal.
1
Unless otherwise noted, information is derived from that (November 2018, The Hague).
provided by the delegations of China and Japan, respectively, 2
‘Note by the Technical Secretariat, OPCW document RC-
at poster presentations at the 23rd Conference of the States 4/S/2, 6 Nov. 2018, para. 4.46, pp. 26-27.
Parties to the CWC, and the Fourth CWC Review Conference 3
Ibid para. 4.74, p. 31.

CBRNeWORLD
John Hart on the 2018 Meeting of State Parties to the
1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
… And when
they met it
was toxic
Introduction
On 4, 5 and 7 December the meeting of
funding supports annual MSPs and
meetings of experts (MX) and the
held in 2021. In 2018 the Central
African Republic, Niue and Palestine
states parties (MSP) to the 1972 Geneva-based implementation support joined the convention bringing the
Biological and Toxin Weapons unit (ISU). treaty membership to 182.3
Convention (BTWC) met in Geneva. The In 2016 the eighth review
meeting, chaired by Mr Ljupco Jivan conference was unable to agree an inter- 2018 Meeting of States Parties
Gjorgjinski of the former Yugoslav sessional programme of work. However, Prior to the opening of the meeting,
Republic of Macedonia, was shortened in December 2017 the MSP did agree an Russia protested against the Swiss
by one day because of budgetary inter-sessional programme of work for authorities searching two Russian
constraints. Thursday 6 December was the period 2018-2020 consisting of diplomats at Geneva airport, and
set aside for informal consultations with further annual MXs and MSPs. The demanded that Switzerland issue an
no conference services, including 2018 MX convened on 7-16 August2, and apology and provide assurances that
translation. As of November 2018 the then the December 2018 MSP met to such an incident will not occur again.
financial shortfall was approximately discuss and promote common As the meeting opened Indonesia
US$236,000.1 For several years, the understanding of and effective action on immediately requested clarification as
annual intake has been approximately the outputs of the 2018 MX meetings. to the absence of two vice-chairs. The
90% of assessed contributions. The The ninth Review Conference will be normal practice is for each regional
1
Brazil is responsible for almost half the total shortfall. For conformity with all Articles of the Convention, including
background, see ‘Information paper to address financial Article X’. MX 4 met for two days to discuss and promote
predictability and sustainability for the Meetings agreed by common understanding and effective action on assistance,
the States Parties and for the Implementation Support Unit’, response and preparedness. This entailed a further
BWC/MSP/2018/5, 5 Dec. 2018. consideration of Russian proposals to examine how the
2
MX 1 met for two days to discuss and promote common concept of mobile biomedical units might contribute to the
understanding and effective action on cooperation and preparedness of among the parties to react to naturally
assistance, with a particular focus on strengthening occurring or deliberate disease outbreaks. MX 5 met for one
cooperation and assistance under Article X, which encourages day to discuss and promote common understanding and
peaceful uses of the life sciences and associated technologies. effective action on institutional strengthening of the
MX 2 met for two days to discuss and promote common convention. This MX was tasked to consider the full range of
understanding and effective action on reviewing approaches to and options for strengthening the convention,
developments, including genome editing, in the fields of including through ‘possible additional legal measures or
science and technology related to the convention. MX 3 met other measures in the framework of the Convention’.
for one day to discuss and promote common understanding 3
The three repositories of the convention are Russia, the
and effective action on strengthening national United Kingdom and the United States. US policy does not
implementation. This included a consideration of the quantity recognize Palestine as a state. Various other states parties
and quality of confidence-building measure (CBM) congratulated Palestine on its accession to the convention
submissions and ‘effective measures of export control, in full during the MSP.

CBRNeWORLD
… And when they met it was toxic
The BTWC has been going through a prolonged period of national conflict. It doesn’t seem likely to stop anytime soon
©United Nations Office at Geneva
group to decide who should fill the order to avoid a time consuming facilities on territory outside its
positions while the delegations as a political confrontation, delegations control. Russia said Ukraine’s position
whole give their assent through a silent agreed that the MSP could proceed with was absurd.
procedure. In this instance, the US had no vice-chairs on the understanding Delegations made statements and
objected to Venezuela assuming one of that this did not set a precedent for issued working papers on five separate
the vice-chair positions. It maintained future meetings. Venezuela nevertheless topics. These were: cooperation and
that the political crisis in Venezuela and represented the non-aligned movement assistance with a particular focus on
its non-payment of assessed (NAM) regional caucus. Article X; relevant developments in the
contributions (approximately Further political tension was field of science and technology;
US$42,500) made the country apparent when Ukraine stated it had strengthening national
unsuitable. Venezuela stressed the need lost control of some of its biological implementation; assistance, response
to be guided by the principles of facilities and that it wished the and preparedness; and institutional
multilateralism and urged delegations international community to review the strengthening of the convention.
to reject imperialist unilateralism. In biosafety and biosecurity status of Many national statements referred

CBRNeWORLD
… And when they met it was toxic
to the continuing need for the department, Rospotrebnadzor [Health biological proliferation risks through
convention to reflect science and Protection Agency] presented Russia’s the advancement and promotion of safe
technology developments, financial anti-plague institute, Microbe, and and responsible conduct.7
stresses caused by systematic non- provided an overview of the institute’s A number of delegations, including
payment and underpayment of dues by mobile biomedical units. The institute France, maintained that transparency
states parties, and the implementation has an e-learning module on highly visits and peer reviews can help to
of UN security council resolution 1540 infectious diseases; epidemiology; and inform possible revisions to the
(2004). Some delegations emphasised biosafety and biosecurity. The institute currently politically binding annual
the need for developing a legally is also implementing a 2015-2019 field information exchanges meant to serve
binding instrument (LBI) to strengthen assistance programme for eastern as confidence-building measures
compliance with the convention. The Europe and central Asia and its mobile (CBMs) among the parties.8
EU proposed that biological warfare be laboratory system has been tested in On 14-15 November 2018
placed under the jurisdiction of the Guinea and Vietnam. international experts and observers
International Criminal Court (ICC) and, Canada, Denmark, the EU, Germany, visited the Richard Lugar Centre for
as such, the parties that have not Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Public Health Research of the National
already done so should join the Rome Sweden, the UK and the US highlighted Centre for Disease Control and Public
Statute of the ICC. Australia stated that the work of the Global Partnership Health (NCDC) in Tbilisi, Georgia and
it was exploring ways to build a core Against the Spread of Weapons and concluded that the facility layout and
standing capacity to investigate Materials of Mass Destruction in the work are consistent with peaceful
allegations of biological weapons use. biological field. The partnership is purposes.9 Russian officials have
India and the US circulated a working implementing more than 100 projects suggested that the US has been
paper for the strengthening of globally in order to achieve five conducting biological weapons-related
convention’s prohibition against objectives. These are to: secure and research in Georgia, and that visit does
biological warfare through inter alia account for materials that represent not alleviate its concerns.10
national legislation and export biological proliferation risks; develop
controls.4 France and India proposed and maintain appropriate and effective Conclusions
that the ISU establish a database for the measures to prevent, prepare for, detect The convention has weak institutional
provision of assistance in case a and disrupt the deliberate misuse of compliance mechanisms. There are
biological or toxin weapon is used.5 biological agents; strengthen national fundamentally opposing perspectives
Russia and the UK hosted a side and international capabilities to rapidly among the parties on whether or how
event on biomedical mobile laboratories identify, confirm/assess and respond to compliance can be verified. Changes
for assistance and protection against biological attacks; reinforce and in the broader international
biological weapons. They also issued a strengthen the BTWC and other architecture to maintain and
joint paper on biomedical mobile units.6 biological disarmament and non- strengthen the prohibition against
Dr Yulia Demina, deputy head of the proliferation obligations, principles, biological warfare continue to be
epidemiological surveillance, practices and instruments; and reduce reflected in the Geneva meetings.
4
India and the United States, ‘Strengthening implementation through transparency: peer review transparency visit at the
of article III of the BTWC’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.1, 14 Nov. Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research of the
2018. National Center for Disease Control and Public Health in
5
France and India, ‘Proposal for establishment of a database Tbilisi, Georgia’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.5, 3 Dec. 2018; and
for assistance in the framework of article VII of the Biological Georgia, ‘Transparency visit to the Lugar Center, Georgia: an
Weapons Convention’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.7, 30 Nov. 2018. independent report’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.11, 7 Dec. 2018.
6
Russia and the United Kingdom, ‘Core elements for an Working paper 11 was prepared by Dr Filippa Lentzos of
effective article VII response’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.6, 3 Dec. King’s College London. The original report is available at
2018. ‘Peer Review Transparency Visit Exercise, 14-15 November
7
‘International activities of Global Partnership Member 2018, Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research,
Countries related to Article X of the Biological and Toxin National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tblisi,
Weapons Convention’, BWC/MSP/2018/WP.9, 4 Dec. 2018. Georgia’, undated, no identifying number,
8
See France, ‘A new initiative to promote voluntary <http://www.ncdc.ge/Handlers/GetFile.ashx?ID=7ab8b06f-
transparency and confidence building measures’, 18d3-48e9-be75-bc1c091caf51>. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
BWC/MSP/2018/WP.10, 4 Dec. 2018. 10
Anonymous, ‘Russia grills NATO, US for supporting
9
Georgia and Germany [co-sponsored by Austria, Belgium, Georgia, cites US-built Tbilis Lugar Lab as dangerous’,
Columbia, Iraq, Hungary, Malaysia, Mali, the United Agenda.ge, 13 Dec. 2018, <http://www.agenda.ge/en/news/
Kingdom, and the United States], ‘Building confidence 2018/2649>. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018.

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CBRNeWORLD Terrance Allen, CBRN programme manager at the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, talks to Gwyn Winfield about doing more than paying bills
Moneybags
T
here’s no doubt that the Federal visible incarnation of FEMA much of specific to the needs of only one of the
Emergency Management Agency their work is done many months before partner agencies outlined above.
(FEMA) gets a bad press. Mostly the incident. There are some FEMA projects, in
they are mentioned in the aftermath of FEMA’s mission statement reads: conjunction with other agencies, that
a natural catastrophe like Hurricane “The CBRN office is responsible for do cut across all of those communities
Katrina, where things haven’t gone to ensuring FEMA is prepared to help our such as Radresponder (see CBRNe
plan and the finger is pointed at them. nation respond to and recover from a World Issue 4, 2015) the Interagency
Often there’s a short period in a CBRN/WMD event. Collectively, we Modelling and Atmospheric Assessment
complex situation where the good work research, develop, build, manage and Center (IMAAC - https://www.fema.gov/
that they have done before and after the advise the Agency’s CBRN risk-based imaac) or the Center for Domestic
incident, in terms of helping restore strategies, policies, plans, operations, Preparedness (CDP – see CBRNe World
basic rights to a population and making tools, training, exercises and outreach Issue 1, 2012, Issue 3, 2012, Issue 6,
sure that it doesn’t happen again, is to mitigate the risks and consequences 2014 and Issue 4, 2017). But, despite Mr
over shadowed. of CBRN/WMD event.” Allen being asked in several different
In terms of CBRN too much of the What will be apparent from the ways, enough of their work is so
focus has been on helping people exist italicised list above is that very little is individual that it is difficult for him to
in the aftermath of what is likely to have done in terms of direct response. FEMA give a figure to whether they are a left
been the most traumatic experience of is fundamentally a coordinator, or right of ‘boom’ agency.
their lives. I have had FEMA described ensuring that state, local, tribal, “During a presidentially declared
to me on many occasions as the ‘magic territorial and federal agencies know disaster FEMA coordinates the entire
cheque book,’ the people that pay for where to place assets to greatest effect federal government resources and
the tents, blankets and bare necessities. and to provide funds to the first four capability in the support of an impacted
Yet as Terrance Allen is keen to point agencies in times of emergency to make state, tribe or territory. The coordinated
out, while that might be the most sure it happens. Many projects are function includes the public, private and
FEMA might not have a magic wand to make things better, but they do have a range of capability that
can help responders do it ©FEMA

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CBRNeWORLD
Moneybags
non-profit sectors as well as other created an incident at Arkema chemical learned out of Mr Allen, they are not
critical partners. FEMA’s mission spans plant1, and our office was involved with his/FEMA lessons learned, they belong
all the national preparedness areas, so some of the response efforts specific to to the state, local, tribal or territorial
we emphasise mitigation, response and that chemical plant. For example the partners. His job is to provide them
recovery but also protection and IMAAC is managed out of office, so in with the tools to learn those lessons,
prevention. We look at building capacity the response to the Arkema incident we rather than take them on board himself.
at state, local, tribal and territorial level were able to assist with some of the As an example we spoke about the
all the way from preparedness through modelling to help the state, local and Skripal/Salisbury incident. “For FEMA
to recovery. federal responders.” CBRN lessons specific to Salisbury, our
“We want to understand the threats, FEMA runs a variety of teams, the main mission is to help build capacity at state
risk and capability that are required to ones being the domestic emergency and local levels. We realise for first
respond to CBRN incidents and to support team (DEST) and the CBRN responders in incidents like Salisbury
exercise these capabilities to ensure that regional coordinators and the nuclear the ability to identify and detect patient
should we have to respond we can use a incident response team (NIRT). The symptomology is extremely important
whole of government approach. The FEMA regional CBRN coordinator and so is messaging. They didn’t identify
FEMA CBRN office has to be mindful of facilitates and supports the something that they weren’t already
what each department brings to the improvement in the area CBRN prepared for, or lacked the capacity to
table in emergency management and capability and provides assistance in the respond to. That incident was similar to
also when state and local partners regional response to CBRN threats. The a nerve agent exposure, so we focus our
become overwhelmed. This can be NIRT is a joint team with the efforts on the training that we already
challenging as each partner is different Department of Energy (DOE) and EPA do. If they had some kind of early
but we try and prepare and train and provides expert technical advice and warning they could have pre-positioned
work through exercises so that we can support to nuclear/radiological resources, but when something is
pre-position resources ahead of times. incidents such as nuclear weapons already in play and fully functional, you
We are not designed to be first incidents, lost or stolen sources or acts just respond to those incidents, so we
responders, even though the media of terrorism. Finally the DEST - and just need to keep training.”
sometimes portrays us that way. We are this is not an exhaustive list - is a team While Salisbury may in itself may be
there to support communities when put together to support the FBI an isolated incident, it is indicative of
they are overwhelmed.” assistant director or the special agent in some of the changes ongoing in the
Mr Allen is one of 17 people in the charge during a CBRN incident or federal government. As James
CBRN office in DC, but they are credible threat. McDonnell, assistant secretary of the
augmented by regional officers and The important thing to note with all Department of Homeland Security’s
other specialists that might be required these teams is while they provide (DHS) new countering weapons of mass
during a CBRN incident. It is important assistance to first responders they are destruction office said in Issue 4 this
to appreciate that FEMA probably has not responders themselves, though they year, the whole of the DHS is re-
the widest definition of CBRN incidents may have previously trained as such. focussing their efforts away from a
of all the federal agencies. Whereas the Neither do they compete with other radiological/nuclear imbalance to
FBI is largely concerned with terrorist agencies, such as the FBI’s WMD include more chemical and biological,
incidents, and the Environmental coordinators, though there is clearly and FEMA is doing the same. Their
Protection Agency (EPA) with accidents overlap in the ‘prepare’ mission space. radiological operations support specialist
and spills, FEMA has within its orbit all “Our CBRN regional coordinator (ROSS) programme has been joined by a
hazardous incidents, regardless of programme looks at the community and COSS and their rad responder app now
cause. For example following a understands some of the specific CBRN has a chemical brother too. FEMA has
hurricane or floods there might well be threats and vulnerabilities. So there had a long and prominent role in
all kinds of environmental damage and might be second or third order events radiological preparedness. The DHS
concerns, and FEMA would look at from a natural disaster and we would deputy secretary identified them as the
ensuring that responder agencies are have regional coordinators in place that departmental lead for response and
prepared to deal with that… and are well versed with state and local first recovery efforts associated with terrorist
provide support if something happens responders. The information that we are use of an improvised nuclear device
and they are overwhelmed. provided is from the bottom up to our (IND) in December 2008. Their IND
Mr Allen explained: “We treat CBRN regional coordinators and then up to response and recovery programme has
as a deliberate, accidental or a second or HQ in DC and that allows us to provide been running since 2010 and it would
third order consequence of a natural resources that will be of use to the end seem likely that it will be followed by a
disaster. Using that paradigm we look to user once they have made it to the similar chemical plan.
train not only for CBRN but for those disaster site.” Mr Allen agreed that the time had
things that occur as a result of a Having such a broad mission set come for a shift of priorities towards
disaster. In 2017 Hurricane Harvey makes it difficult to get any lessons chem and bio. “Much of what we do is

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Moneybags
FEMA works with all state, local, tribal and territorial partners, both before and after an event,
to ensure that disasters are managed effectively ©FEMA
derived from the outreach efforts we do seem prudent that looking across the for an organisation like FEMA. Equally,
with our state, local, tribal and whole of government they can focus on recent events in the Middle East and
territorial partners. We will have the tasks that aren’t being done, to Europe are also going to focus
discussions with them, sit in on understand that where organisations attention on the chemical threat and
training exercises and look for areas meet is where the weakness lies and to more agencies are going to start raising
where we can take some of our try and bolster that. requests. These will filter into the
initiatives and build them to deal with Again Mr Allen states that is not regional coordinators and then end up
a chem or bio specific gap at their FEMA’s task. Theirs is to be able to in a training programme or application.
level. In consultation with our federal work on the tasks identified by their This shift from radiological to
interagency partners we will invite partner agencies at different levels chemical will be an institutional
them and based on our interaction within the government and to help challenge for FEMA, as it is for many
with the states and locals say ‘here is meet them. “There is a role within the other federal agencies, but perhaps their
the direction that we are going with agency but not a primary one. As the threat agnostic history will make it
our chem/bio portfolio’. We will country’s emergency management easier for them than for the others. The
encourage a whole of government agency, we don’t get to dictate the type biological space, and there seems to be a
approach and tie the gaps identified by of incident that requires federal shortage of BOSS to join their ROSS
our offices into some of the federal support, we have to be prepared for any and COSS, might prove more of a
government roles and responsibilities type of action, everything across the challenge. Their background in natural
as well.” CBRN spectrum. We don’t want to disasters has well prepared them for
The challenge for a whole of operate in our federal partners’ swim radiological and chemical emergencies,
government approach is finding the lanes, we want to be mindful of what like Arkema, but significant biological
gaps between the agencies. You can they bring to bear for CBRN specific hazards don’t tend to be part of natural
rely on the DOE for providing a incidents and understand why state and disasters. It would be easy to extrapolate
radiological focus or for the FBI to local resources will be overwhelmed from that and see an expansion in their
provide a law enforcement and counter and bridge those two together to build 17 person team, but at the same time it
terrorist focus. These agencies all have interoperability in FEMA.” has to be driven by the various
their swim lanes, and promote With wholesale changes being responders, and if biological hazards
excellence within them. FEMA has no suggested by Mr McDonnell there remain low priority that is not going to
single swim lane, as such it would would seem to be more need than ever happen any time soon.
1
https://www.csb.gov/arkema-inc-chemical-plant-fire-/
2
https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1haz/fema-cbrn-office-chemresponder-information-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=70ebb30d_0

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CBRNeWORLD Zoe Rutherford looks at the semi permeable membrane

market and some of the challenges it faces
Barrier
to entry
I
ndividual protection against
chemical and biological hazards is an
aspect of everyday life for nearly
everyone… rubber gloves for cleaning, a
mask when working with infectious
patients in a hospital, or a respirator
when dealing with a chemical incident.
Various materials are used for personal
protective equipment (PPE), and many
of these have not changed for some time
due to continued efficacy, but research
continually works towards finding
improved materials.
The most common form of
protection is dermal, thanks to our
desire not to get wet, so this includes
gloves to keep hands dry when washing
up and shower caps to protect hair ‘dos’.
We have looked at CBRN dermal
protection in various forms over the
years as developments continue to pop
up, and the last time we did this was in
August 2017 when we spoke to
Edgewood Chemical and Biological
Center about metal organic frameworks.
Much research is being undertaken into
the potential of materials and substances
such as nafion, nanofibrous coated webs,
n-halamines and polyoxometallates for
use in in CBRN protective clothing. This
is largely in its infancy, however, in
terms of coming to fruition as
commercially available products.
Ten years ago, the main protective
component in CBRN PPE was activated
carbon and in many instances it still is.
One type of material that has made
progress in recent years, and is
commercially available, is selectively Some activity is only going to increase ingress of agent at closures,
permeable membranes (SPMs). SPMs which means a scavenger layer is attractive ©CBRNe World

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Technology
KITTING PROGRAMSScouting OF RECORD Product Life Cycle Management Packaging & Engineering
ADS IS A SMALL BUSINESS
Obsolescence Management CERTIFICATIONS
KITTING PROGRAMS OF RECORD CERTIFICATIONS ADS IS A SMALL BUSINESS
Product Development Total Asset Visibility Certified to the ISO 9001:2008 NAICS Code: Classified under 70+
Warehousing & Transportation
U.S. ARMY’S GEN III EXTENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING SYSTEM (ECWCS) Certified to the ISO 9001:2008 NAICS Code: Classified under 70+
U.S. ARMY’S GEN III EXTENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING SYSTEM (ECWCS) Management
Obsolescence Quality Management System NAICS codes
KITTING
Contract Length:PROGRAMS
5 years OF RECORD CERTIFICATIONS
Quality Management System ADS IS codes
NAICS A SMALL BUSINESS
Contract Length: 5 years
Volume-Delivered: 1,101,220 Tops & 1,101,118 Bottoms
Volume-Delivered: 1,101,220 Tops & 1,101,118 Bottoms QualifiedtoSupplier
Certified the ISOList for
9001:2008 NAICS
DUNS:Code: Classified under 70+
027079776
CPAR
U.S.Rating:
ARMY’S VeryGEN
Good
III EXTENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING SYSTEM (ECWCS) Qualified Supplier List for DUNS: 027079776
CPAR Rating: PROGRAMS
KITTING Very Good OF RECORD Distributors
Quality
CERTIFICATIONS (QSLD) for
Management Class 2 and
System ADSNAICS
IS codes
A SMALL BUSINESS
Contract Length: 5 years Distributors (QSLD) for Class 2 and CAGE Code: 1CAY9
U.S. ARMY FIREFIGHTER
Volume-Delivered: INDIVIDUAL
1,101,220 Tops & REQUIREMENTS
1,101,118 Bottoms EQUIPMENT SETS (FIRES) KITS Class 3 Threaded
Certified to the ISOFasteners
9001:2008 CAGE
NAICS Code:
Code: 1CAY9
Classified under 70+
U.S. ARMY FIREFIGHTER INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS EQUIPMENT SETS (FIRES) KITS Class 3 Threaded
Qualified SupplierFasteners
List for DUNS: 027079776
U.S.
Contract
CPAR ARMY’S
Rating: GEN
Length:Very III EXTENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING SYSTEM (ECWCS)
5 years
Good Federal Tax ID: 54-1867268
Contract Length:873 5 years Quality Management
Distributors (QSLD) forSystem
Class 2 and NAICS codes
Federal Tax ID: 54-1867268
Volume-Delivered: Firefighters; 130 containers CAGE Code: 1CAY9
Volume-Delivered: 873 Firefighters; 130 containers Class 3 Threaded Fasteners
U.S.Rating:
ARMYSatisfactory
FIREFIGHTER
Volume-Delivered:
CPAR 1,101,220INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS
Tops & 1,101,118 Bottoms EQUIPMENT SETS (FIRES) KITS Qualified Supplier List for DUNS: 027079776
CPAR Rating: Satisfactory
Contract
CPAR Length:
Rating: Very5Good
years Federal Tax ID: 54-1867268
Distributors (QSLD) for Class 2 and
U.S. ARMY’S
U.S. ARMY’S FIRE
Volume-Delivered:FIRERESISTANT
873 ENVIRONMENTAL
Firefighters;
RESISTANT 130 containersENSEMBLE
ENVIRONMENTAL ENSEMBLE(FREE)
(FREE)KITS
KITS CAGE Code: 1CAY9
Class 3ADS
Threaded theFasteners
U.S.
Contract
CPAR ARMY
Length:
Rating:
Contract
FIREFIGHTER
Length: 5 years
Satisfactory
5 years
INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS EQUIPMENT SETS (FIRES) KITS
ADS isisthe onlycompany
only companyI Ican cancount
countonontotoacquire
acquire thethe items
items
Contract Length:125,000
Volume-Delivered: 5 years kits Federal Tax ID: 54-1867268
Volume-Delivered: 125,000 kits we need at a reasonable price and in a
we need at a reasonable price and in a timely manner.” timely manner.”
U.S.Rating:
ARMY’S
Volume-Delivered:
CPAR FIRE
Very RESISTANT
873
Good ENVIRONMENTAL
Firefighters; 130 containers ENSEMBLE (FREE) KITS
CPAR Rating: Very Good ADS is the only company I can count on to acquire the items
Contract
CPAR Length:
Rating: 5 years
Satisfactory
Volume-Delivered: 125,000 kits (FOBAM) ——Assault
AssaultCraft
Craft Unit
Unit ONEONE (ACU
(ACU 1) 1)
FAMILY
FAMILYOFOFBOATSBOATS ANDAND MOTORS
MOTORS (FOBAM)KITS
KITS we need at a reasonable price and in a timely manner.”
U.S.
CPAR ARMY’S
Rating: FIRE
Very RESISTANT ENVIRONMENTAL ENSEMBLE (FREE) KITS
Contract Length:
Contract Length: 5Good
5 years
years ADS is the only company I can count on to Craft
acquire
Volume-Delivered: 129
Volume-Delivered: 129P4.7 boats,
P4.7 238
boats, 238P5.8
P5.8boats,
boats,557
557motors
motors — Assault Unitthe
ONEitems
(ACU 1)
FAMILY OF BOATS125,000
Volume-Delivered: AND MOTORS
kits (FOBAM) KITS we need at a reasonable price and in a timely manner.”
CPAR Rating:
CPAR Satisfactory
Rating: Satisfactory
Contract
CPAR Length:
Rating: Very5Good
years
Volume-Delivered:
SHOULDER-LAUNCHED
SHOULDER-LAUNCHED 129 P4.7 boats, 238 P5.8
MULTIPURPOSE
MULTIPURPOSE boats, 557
ASSAULT
ASSAULT motors (SMAW
WEAPON
WEAPON (SMAWMOD
MOD2)
2)KITS
KITS — Assault Craft Unit ONE (ACU 1)
FAMILY
CPAR OF BOATS
Rating: AND MOTORS (FOBAM) KITS
Satisfactory
Contract Length:
Contract 5 years
Length: 5 years
Volume-Delivered: 6363
Volume-Delivered: (started September
(started September13,
13,2017)
2017) Don’t See
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boats, 238 P5.8ASSAULT WEAPON
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CPAR Rating:
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Rating:
Contract
Satisfactory
Length: 5 years
CPAR Rating: Satisfactory Regardless of
Regardless ofyour
youracquisition
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youcovered.
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Volume-Delivered: 63 (started September 13, 2017) If You Don’t See What You’re Looking For, Just Ask.
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5 years MORE PROGRAMS AT:
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Volume-Delivered: 63 (started September 13, 2017) If You Don’t See What You’re Looking For, Just Ask.
OUR
OURPURPOSE.
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ADSINC.COM/PROVEN-PERFORMANCE
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a registered of ADS,
trademark ofOURInc.PURPOSE.
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ADS is Certified to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System. ©2018 ADS, Inc. The ADS logo is a registered trademark of ADS, Inc. CORP015I
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CBRNeWORLD
Barrier to entry
have long been used throughout the

chemical industry, particularly for gas
separation, water purification and waste
filtration but of late they have been
further developed for use as a protective
layer in PPE.
But what are SPMs and why do we
want them in our CBRN PPE? The
answer is that SPMs consist of multi-
layer composite polymer systems
produced using various base polymers
such as cellulose or polytetrafluoro-
ethylene (PTFE). They are, in the same
way as activated carbon, layers which
are placed between an outer shell fabric
and an inner liner material. SPMs have
the advantage of being very thin,
flexible, lightweight materials that
provide protection against chemical and
biological agents and do not necessarily
require an adsorptive layer such as
activated carbon to be effective.
One of the benefits of SPMs is that
they allow elective permeation of
moisture vapour from the wearer’s
body to escape through the protective
layers, so the body is continually
cooled by evaporation, thereby
reducing the heat burden. In contrast
to activated carbon, which relies on
adsorption and absorption to neutralise
a chemical threat, SPMs rely on
selective solution/diffusion processes
and are designed to allow some
molecules to permeate, while blocking
specific organic molecules, such as
vesicant agents in liquid, aerosol, and
vapour form.
At present the main type of SPM
used in protective equipment is
Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or
ePTFE. An ePTFE membrane is created
when PTFE, a linear polymer consisting
of polytetrafluoroethylene, is expanded, ‘Honest to god Carl, that’s not what an SPM is! Now go in and change.’
creating a microporous structure with ©CBRNe World
desirable characteristics such as
suitability for high and low temperature his wife founded is the main provider of SPMs have many advantages over
use, being chemically inert and having ePTFE for use in CBRN PPE, in the activated carbon when there is a known
selective permeability. ePTFE is a very form of its selectively permeable agent present at a lower challenge level.
diverse membrane in that it can be Chempak fabric. Gore Chempak is They can protect against a variety of
tailored in many ways depending on the currently used in a variety of suits chemical weapon agents such as
application and functionality that the produced by different manufacturers mustard, tabun, soman, VX, and sarin,
user requires. such as Blauer’s XRT and Mirt suits, as well as a variety of toxic industrial
The discovery of ePTFE by Bill Gore, Survitec’s Sonics Bio-Skin and Bio- chemicals. Suits on the market tested at
aka W L Gore, in 1969 paved the way for Shell, the LION ERS suit, and Isovac’s current challenge standards,
thousands of diverse innovations in operational rescue containment demonstrate good protection against
fabrics. As of today the company he and apparatus (Orca). agents that are below levels immediately

CBRNeWORLD
dangerous to life and health (IDLH). this technology compared to those the suit will not be neutralised, unlike
SPMs are selectively air impermeable, using activated carbon? Like anything it activated carbon suits, which scavenge
meaning the membrane system blocks has its downsides, and probably the whatever vapours may enter the
penetration of aerosols and particulates biggest of these is that SPMs are unable ensemble. Further, SPMs suits only
and can also block liquid penetration to scavenge or neutralise an agent if it protect the wearer against levels of
even under pressure. Compared to penetrates the suit. There are couple of agent that are below levels IDLH. This
activated carbon, SPM suits have the areas of concern as to where and how an means that they are most useful in
added advantage that they can be agent may be able to penetrate an SPM situations like force protection,
laundered multiple times and reused suit. First is the bellows effect, which decontamination operations and safe
without compromise to the protective occurs when body movements in effect escape from contaminated
level with the result that they offer a ‘pump' microenvironment air around environments. Thermal burden also
stable working life of up 10 years or and through clothing layers. This could needs to be considered when using an
more. These attributes have brought cause a significant amount of vapour or SPM suit. While SPMs are very good at
this material to the fore as users aerosol to be transported into the suit allowing cooling of the body, they are
become more environmentally through its closure areas, however steps often worn with a second layer of
concerned, not wanting everything to be have been taken to mitigate this risk hydrophilic polyurethane, or activated
wear once and dispose. Yet another with improved closure systems. carbon. These layers increase the level
benefit of this material is the weight, Another concern is about tearing or of protection, but cover the micropores
most SPM suits being lighter than those abrasion. Suits with activated carbon of the SPM layer and increase the
with an equivalent level of protection layers are often considered more robust thermal burden over that of a suit that
via activated carbon. than their SPM counterparts. If an SPM contains only an activated carbon layer.
So, if SPMs are so darn effective why suit tears it must be repaired as soon as That is not to tear down selectively
are there so few suits around that use possible since any agent that penetrates permeable membrane suits, they are an
CBRNeWORLD
Barrier to entry
innovation that has, for the first time

in a long while, provided end users
with an alternative to suits that rely
solely on activated carbon. The
unfortunate thing about SPMs, is that
there isn’t much alternative to ePTFE,
at least, very little is making it beyond
the lab. There has been much talk over
the past 10 years about innovation in
CBRN protective, resistant, and
detoxifying materials and fabrics that
can be used to make, or be integrated
into, protective equipment for this
field. Substances such as nanofibrous
coated webs, n-halamines and
polyoxometallates have been
researched but despite this they have
never progressed from the lab into the
commercial market.
The lack of commercially available
new or innovative fabrics in CBRN
protective clothing is complex and
multifaceted. Often it has nothing to
do with the technology and everything SPMs are great when they are working with known chemicals,
to do with current procurement and the joy of AC is that it is chemical threat agnostic ©CBRNe World
tendering processes. When buying
equipment in large quantities the involved in tendering, are so long and response. Things are beginning to
initial purchase budget is the driver. If complex that smaller businesses often change, an appetite for innovation is
business models can change away from find them too time consuming and growing and not only from the users
upfront purchase models then this costly to undertake, whereas large who are keen to have something better
would act as a way of accelerating corporations have this type of work than what is currently available. It’s
innovation to market. Recently PPE built into their overheads. also coming from garment
purchasing has moved towards a Another barrier has to do with manufacturers, as while many suits
leasing model instead of upfront patents, intellectual property (IP), IP might use the same fabrics as each
purchasing. If a company is willing to licensing, and royalty fees. Lots of other, they are trying to do something
lease you their garments, particularly innovations are delayed in reaching the different with what they have.
those that can be laundered, refreshed market due to issues over who owns the It’s unlikely we will completely
and renewed, deal with the aftercare patent or IP. A research institution might move away from activated carbon to
and make safe for re-issue, then the want to create an innovative fabric or some all singing and dancing
initial outlay is lowered. This model treatment but if the IP is held by a body substance. Activated carbon is highly
may not necessarily reduce the cost of such as a defence ministry or the US effective and does what we need it to
the PPE over time, but it has the Department of Defense, for example, they do. There is, however, a lot more we
potential to allow people to invest in are required to purchase an IP licence, can do with what we have. Ways can be
newer, better, protection technologies. and potentially pay royalty fees. It appears found to use existing technology in
If they don’t need to purchase as they that many an innovation has died, or is systems that hit other targets, such as
consume and stockpile huge languishing, in a research institute or lab lowering physical burden, thermal
quantities, then the buying cycle will somewhere due to patents and IP locking loads or extending operational times.
shorten, enabling people to shop things down or unaffordable licensing Existing suboptimal solutions can be
around more frequently, and allowing fees. Of course people should protect integrated with others to create
those with innovative technologies to their intellectual property, but making it something new and improved. The real
enter the market. cheaper or easier to licence could bring issue is that there doesn’t appear to be
Procurement and tendering the CBRN protection field forward leaps any incentive for commercial
processes are also very prohibitive to and bounds. experimentation. That is not to say
small business, some of which may have Change in any of the factors above there won’t be any developments in the
developed the latest and greatest in could see the research we have been near future, but it is more likely that
protective technology. The length of reading about over the past decade we will see iterative improvement on
buying cycles, and the processes break out of the lab and into CBRN both the SPM and adsorbent fronts.

Dr Andrew Karam, consultant, on a quick and dirty
CBRNeWORLD
assessment of internal radioactivity
Hard to swallow
Introduction detection equipment. clothing, or hair, and identify those with
Following the 1987 radiation accident Although I was unable to look into internal contamination. As a rule of
in Goiania Brazil more than 10% of the this at the time, a general approach did thumb, anyone who has been through
city’s population - over 110,000 people - occur to me - develop a simple process two rounds of decontamination and still
reported to the local soccer stadium to that could be taught to someone like my has an elevated radiation count rate will
be surveyed for internal and external father (well educated and intelligent, be assumed to have internal
contamination. Of those, about 250 but not a scientist), and be performed in contamination. These people will be
people needed some degree of treatment five minutes or less, using simple sent for radiological assessment in order
and around 120 required more handheld instruments. This process is to determine whether or not
significant medical attention. Surveying described in figure 1. decorporation is required. If supplies are
and assessing these people went on for tight, for instance there’s insufficient
weeks, but it was a necessary process. If Overview of the assessment Prussian blue to treat everybody, it then
a person with internal radioactivity methodology becomes necessary to determine who
could be identified quickly enough and The assumption is that in the aftermath will benefit most from the medication.
given Prussian blue to help remove the of a large scale event the affected city There are three key aspects to this
radioactivity (a process called will establish community reception methodology:
decorporation), their radiation exposure centres (CRCs) for public radiological • Use of simple handheld radiation
could be reduced by about a third. For screening. Some cities (eg Los Angeles detectors.
the screening the Brazilians used fairly and New York City) have developed CRC • Speed and relative accuracy of
sophisticated instruments in a plans; the intention is to survey up to assessment.
controlled setting to measure gamma 1,000 people hourly, decontaminate • Can be performed by persons other
radiation emitted by the radioactive those with contamination on their skin, than radiation safety professionals.
caesium (specifically, Cs-137) in the
bodies of those affected.
I spent several years working for the
NYC health department and one of my
tasks was to help figure out how to deal
with an anticipated one million or more
people who might report for screening
following a major radiological or
nuclear incident. It might be an attack,
but could also be an accident at the
nearby Indian Point nuclear power
station. Going through the numbers I
quickly realised that there were not
enough qualified radiation safety
specialists and not enough specialised
equipment to make these
measurements. That being so, I began
to wonder if it would be possible to
devise a streamlined and simplified
procedure that might, in the immediate
aftermath of some event, quickly sort
people into three groups - those clearly
needing decorporation agents, those
requiring no further attention, and
those requiring more evaluation. Ideally Figure 1. How a community reception centre might look. The dose assessment
that further evaluation could be discussed in this article is located between the registration and discharge
performed quickly by marginally trained stations in the gymnasium at lower right.
personnel using simple radiation

CBRNeWORLD
Hard to swallow
Radiation detectors
All surveys will be performed using
common handheld radiation detectors
such as ‘pancake’ type Geiger-Mueller
probes. These detectors are very
common, inexpensive, and they are
easy to learn to use.
Speed and accuracy of assessment

The assessment will be performed
using a scoring system for a variety of
qualitative and quantitative factors.
Qualitative factors are subjective in
nature - asking a person if they were
heavily covered with debris or if they
smelt or tasted smoke and dust.
Quantitative factors are numerical -
the number of counts measured on Table 1. Scoring for qualitative factors.
the skin using a radiation detector.
Each factor in the assessment process whether or not they remember indicated in the table above. Please
will receive a score reflecting its smelling or tasting smoke or dust note that the presence of
severity, and at the end of the process from an explosion, whether or not contamination in any wound is
the scores will be added up and the they were injured, and how heavily considered sufficient to refer the
total used to determine how the they were covered with dust or debris. person for decorporation due to the
person is treated. This will be While any single qualitative factor near certainty that contamination has
discussed in greater detail below. might be mis-remembered, as a group entered the bloodstream.
they can be used to check each other.
Can be performed by non-radiation For example, someone who Quantitative factors
safety professionals remembers being very close to an Quantitative factors are those that can
Much of the typical radiological explosion but who has no recollection be measured, being the contamination
assessment process involves of being covered with dust, is levels measured with a radiation
calculations and professional uninjured, and who doesn’t remember detector. Contamination of the mouth
judgement; this is why it is normally smelling or tasting smoke is unlikely and nose indicate the possibility that
performed by professionals and why it to have actually been in close radioactivity was inhaled. Higher
can take a long time. In this process, proximity to the explosion. levels of contamination of the face
however, the person performing the The primary reason for including mean there’s a greater chance that
assessment need not make any qualitative factors is that a person contamination was inhaled into the
calculations because they are built might not report directly to the CRC. lungs; higher levels of skin
into the scoring system. The assessor After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, for contamination mean that a person was
only has to properly score the persons example, a large number of people in an area with higher levels of
being assessed and add up the scores self-evacuated and went home. In the airborne contamination or that they
correctly. Similarly, the assessor need event of a radiological attack, such travelled through a highly
not apply any professional judgement people might decide to shower, contaminated area. Both of these
as the professional-level judgement removing skin and facial increase the possibility that
has already been applied in contamination. Thus, scoring radioactivity might have been inhaled
determining the scoring system. Thus, qualitative information can help to or ingested. Thus elevated levels of
the assessor’s burden is light. Their compensate for missing quantitative facial or skin contamination receive
primary task is to follow the data. In addition, it is possible that higher scores.
procedure and, if in doubt, refer the terrorists might use alpha or beta- The primary factor is the count
person to a radiation professional for emitting radionuclides that cannot be rate from a person’s lungs, this is
adjudication. detected with most portal monitors proof positive that radioactivity was
and that won’t penetrate through the inhaled and will yield radiation
Qualitative factors body during a lung count. Qualitative exposure from internal contamination.
Qualitative factors are those that information can, again, help to If inhaled radioactivity was alpha or
cannot be measured precisely. These compensate for the lack of beta-emitting, however, it will not be
include a person’s recollection of their quantitative data during assessment. detectable from outside the body, this
distance from the site of an explosion, Qualitative factors are scored as is the reason for including skin and

CBRNeWORLD
facial contamination, which is administer the agent to everyone who Quantitative factors
detectable even if alpha or beta- does not fall into the first category. • Gwyn has skin contamination that
emitting. While the tables below • < 5 points – no treatment required; was about 100 cpm above background
represent scoring from persons long-term follow-up recommended. (0 points) prior to decontamination
scanned with a pancake-type Geiger • 5-15 points – further assessment • Gwyn had no measurable facial
counter, other tables can be generated required to determine course of action. contamination (0 points)
for various radionuclides and for • > 15 point – decorporation • Gwyn had 1,700 cpm from his lung
surveys made using other types of recommended when medically count (5 points)
radiation detectors. appropriate. • So Gwyn’s quantitative score is 5
points.
Cumulative scoring Example assessment
After the assessor has completed The following example might help to Qualitative factors
scoring the qualitative and illustrate how this process will be When questioned by the assessor, Gwyn
quantitative factors, the individual used. recalled:
scores will be tallied for a cumulative Let’s say that a person - Gwyn - was in • Choking on thick smoke and dust
result and this will be used to the vicinity of a dirty bomb at the from the explosion (3 points).
determine where the person being time of detonation. Gwyn initially self- • He was covered from head to foot
assessed will be sent. The scoring evacuated, returning home where with dust and debris (3 points).
noted below is a suggestion - (following instructions on the radio) • He had several cuts from flying
individual health departments and/or he changes his clothes and showers. debris, some of which required stitches
emergency management organisations He then decides he should report to (2 points).
may choose different levels based on the CRC where he is found to have • He clearly remembered his location
their own resources and specific skin contamination; after two rounds at the time of the attack (looking at
needs. Alternately, if a particular of decontamination he is still purses for his wife’s birthday present),
decorporation agent has no known exhibiting an elevated count rate so he which was about 100 metres from the
adverse side effects and supplies are is sent to the dose assessment station seat of the explosion (3 points).
plentiful, it might be decided to for evaluation. • So Gwyn’s qualitative score was
11 points.
Gwyn’s cumulative score from both

qualitative and quantitative factors is 16
points. Thus, Gwyn is sent to hospital or
another location where he is given a
dose of Prussian blue to begin
decorporating his internal radioactivity.
Summary and conclusions

In the aftermath of any large scale
radiological or nuclear event it will be
necessary to determine rapidly and
reasonably accurately who needs
Table 2. Scoring for lung counts using a pancake-type GM detector decorporation of internal radioactivity,
who should be sent home with no
further treatment, and who requires
more detailed follow up assessment. At
such a time, there will be a shortage of
qualified radiation safety professionals
and the sophisticated equipment
normally used to perform such
assessments. The relatively simple
scoring system described in this article
has the potential to address these
concerns, making it possible for
Table 3. Scoring for skin and facial contamination using a pancake-type people who are not experienced
GM detector. radiation safety professionals to
quickly sort those exposed using
relatively simple equipment.

CAPABILITY PROFILES
Argon
With our CBRNe / HazMat training systems Training solutions available include physical
in use by many organisations worldwide instruments and virtual App based simulators
including UK MoD, US DoD and the enabling Table top, local and field exercises
Canadian DND, Argon has a wide range of to take place in pretty much any environment
simulators capable of use independently, you chose incorporating both mounted and
instrumented with PlumeSIM or integrated dismounted training capabilities.
with third party Live / Virtual training systems.
Our specialist engineering team can also
A variety of white papers, case studies and create custom solutions to meet your specific
eBooks are available to read on our website CBRNe training requirements.
enabling you to learn how our customers
achieve best practice and have enhanced
their training through effective simulator use.
Kärcher Futuretech GmbH

Kärcher Futuretech GmbH, with high-pressure systems, patented vacuum
headquarters in Schwaikheim, Germany chamber technology for sensitive
near Stuttgart, is a wholly owned equipment, shower decontamination
subsidiary of Alfred Kärcher GmbH & systems for the decontamination of
Co. KG. persons and a hot gas/steam chamber
for heat-resistant material.
The company currently employs 125
employees under the leadership of Mr. Thus, offering a holistic approach in
Thomas Popp, as the Managing Director. CBRN decontamination for its customers
Futuretech develops and manufactures worldwide. Additionally the Kärcher
CBRN Decontamination, Water Supply, Futuretech name represents ‘made in
Mobile Catering and Field Camp Germany’ quality with more than 30
Systems for military and civil defense years of experience all over the world
operations. In the field of CBRN and an extensive range of services.
Decontamination the company uses www.kaercher-futuretech.com
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PROENGIN Biological and Chemical Detection Systems

Proengin has developed biological and – AP4C-F, on critical buildings and ships.
chemical warfare agents (CWA) field These detectors show same detection
detectors using flame spectrometry. performances, with characteristics suitable
for vehicles, buildings and ships, in terms
Chemical detection of autonomy and data networking.
AP4C is a hand held chemical detector
able to detect all CWA and many TICs, Biological detection
precursors, derivatives or unknown The biological detector MAB has the
(Novichok). Continuous measurement, fast unique capacity of detecting and
clear down after positive detection and categorizing biological particles with a
particular easiness of use make of this proven extremely low false alarm rate. It is
detector the perfect one for field missions. designed to trigger sampling and analysing
Range of products show also: devices.
– AP4C-V, aboard wheeled and tracked
reconnaissance vehicles, www.proengin.com

CAPABILITY PROFILES
FLIR
CBRNE events are low in frequency but high in patrol activities. Responders can also use the
consequence. FLIR safeguards people and device to perform isotope identification to
property by providing tools that see and sense adjudicate alarms and help them make safe,
harmful CBRNE substances. Intelligence, informed decisions from the frontline.
innovation, and intuitive design are featured in
every FLIR device, including: • Griffin G510 - person-portable GC-MS that
identifies and confirms unknown chemical trace
• identiFINDER R200 GN - the trusted residue, bulk samples, and mixtures on-scene so
identiFINDER R200 SPRD, now with neutron that responders can take immediate action.
detection capability along with gamma detection Reachback via WiFi/Bluetooth/Ethernet allows for
and identification. The pager-sized radiation post-event reporting and further analysis.
detector tool can be mounted in a vehicle or worn
to provide 24/7 radiation monitoring. The • Fido X2 - fast, handheld explosives trace detector
identiFINDER R200 provides an alarm when (ETD) used by security teams to screen facilities
radiological hazards are initially detected during and interdict threats before they cause harm.
BioFire Defense - BioSurveillance Systems

We deliver a fully integrated suite of powered unit includes Bluetooth including sample preparation,
biological agent identification capabilities, bar code reader, and a reverse transcription for RNA
products, including: bright, easy to read color screen viruses, and a two-stage nested
multiplex PCR process. The results
RAZOR EX – Hand Portable FilmArray - Fully Automated are a revolutionary detection
Detection BioDetection system in a lightweight, small-
The RAZOR EX detects and The FilmArray is able to identify, footprint format.
identifies biological agents and is dozens of the most lethal viruses
made for field use, being compact, and bacteria, including emerging Learn more at
lightweight, and easy to use. It’s a infectious diseases. The easy-to- www.BioFireDefense.com
fast field PCR unit , with ultra- use, syringe-loaded system
reliable DNA based results and is represents the next generation in
easily operated while working in automated detection systems.
protective equipment under extreme The FilmArray uses a plastic pouch
conditions. The new battery with automated capabilities,
Metrohm – a world leader in chemical analysis

Metrohm is one of the world’s leading Metrohm is represented in 120 countries
manufacturers of precision instruments for by our own subsidiaries or exclusive
chemical analysis. At our headquarters in distributors, respectively. The Metrohm
Herisau in the east of Switzerland more product portfolio for handheld Raman
than 450 employees develop and produce spectroscopy is developed and
systems for all versions of ion analysis. manufactured in the US by Metrohm
Apart from titration, these are ion Raman (formerly known as Snowy Range
chromatography, pH and conductivity Instruments), a world leader in Raman
measurement, voltammetry and stability spectroscopy based in Laramie, WY.
measurement. Besides this, we offer a Metrohm Raman joined the global
complete portfolio for near-infrared Metrohm Group in 2015 establishing
spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy as Metrohm straightaway as a powerhouse in
well as software, dosing systems, and the fast growing market for advanced,
solutions for laboratory automation. handheld material identification technology.
First Line Technology

First Line Technology’s decontamination line DeconTect products are designed for To learn more about our
of products, DeconTect, provides high stability, reactivity, and compatibility. Our custom decontamination
efficacy and user-friendly decontamination decontamination solution, Dahlgren Decon, kits to suit your team’s
tools that can decontaminate chemical can be used and stored in extreme cold and needs, please contact
(CWA) and biological (BWA) warfare agents, high heat, neutralizes most threats in under First Line Technology at
toxic industrial chemicals and materials, 5 minutes, and has the best material +1.703.955.7510, by
pharmaceutical based agents like fentanyl compatibility in the industry based on a email at
and carfentanil, and removes radiological consistent neutral pH. sales@firstlinetech.com, or visit us on the
particulates from personnel, personal web at www.firstlinetech.com
protective equipment, sensitive equipment, In combination with Dahlgren Decon,
and critical infrastructure. DeconTect FiberTect, First Line Technology’s dry decon
provides an array of dry and hybrid solution, can serve as a standalone
decontamination products that integrate to technology or be used effectively as the first
provide a comprehensive solution for almost step in a larger decontamination system.
any situation.

CAPABILITY PROFILES
Detection:
NBC-Sys: Innovation focusing on your Safety! Chemical toxic agent detector kit (KTDC) /
Fiel Biological Detection Kit (KDTB Gold®) /
From design to production to customer support, Individual Protection: Individual detector of neurotoxin agents
NBC-Sys covers numerous technologies Gas Masks-civilians, soldiers, helicopter pilots/ (DETINDIV)
against nuclear, radiological biological and Civilian: EVATOX (adult, child, baby), Paper detector notebook (PDF1)
chemical hazards. BIOPROTECT / Filtering Canister (NBC NATO,
ABEK, Wide spectrum) / Blower (CASU) / Sampling:
Military and Civilian Interventions face to Survival kits (LABIC, ISK) Sampling equipment (EPTBC – set of
Toxic Hazards: biological and chemical sampling and
NBC terrorism; Civil defence; Industrial Decontamination: transportation equipment – and sampling kit)
Accidents (Nuclear and Chemical); Hazmat MEERKAT®: Multi-purpose decontamination
Transportation Accidents; Emergency response equipment / Emergency: a range made with
and Disaster Management "Fuller's earth" ingredient, powdering gloves and
decontamination kit / DSSM: Decontam-ination Contact:
Collective Protection : System for Sensitive Material / SYMODA: Tel: +33 477 191921
Air conditioning & Filtration unit for vehicles, MObile SYstem for Air Decontamination / Fax: +33 4 77 19 1929
tents and ships /Complete range of filters (NBC, CERPE: personal decontamination line / SDA: Sales@nbc-sys.com
NBC+TIC's) from 12 to 300 m3/h thorough decontamination system of vehicles www.nbc-sys.com
Federal Resources
Federal Resources is a key provider of mission
critical solutions for protection, detection and
safety products for the DoD, Federal, State and
local agencies. Offering total life-cycle solutions
from procurement, training, management and
sustainment, Federal Resources continuously
advances organization segments delivering the
support needed for any mission faced by
responders in the hotzone.
Battelle: Solving the World’s Most Complex CBRNE Defense Challenges

For 30 years, government • Material, Product, and System To solve your most pressing
agencies and manufacturers alike Live Agent T&E challenges, Think Battelle First.
have trusted Battelle to solve their
• Threat Assessment
chemical and biological defense 1.800.201.2011
challenges. • Threat Detection and solutions@battelle.org
Identification Products www.battelle.org/mission-ready
With expertise in dozens of inter-
related scientific disciplines, • Medical Countermeasure
unmatched chemical and Testing
biological test facilities, advanced • Chemical Demilitarization
product design and manufacturing,
and objectivity as the world’s • Integrated Forensics
largest independent R&D • Biosecurity
organization, Battelle provides
comprehensive CBRNE defense
solutions, including:
Tex-Shield, Inc.
Tex-Shield is the U.S. licensee of the unique SARATOGA chemical protective technology,
the most trusted name in chemical protective textiles and garments in the world.
SARATOGA garments are air permeable, adsorptive systems designed to provide optimal
protection against chemical agents. Comfortable, flexible, lightweight, and breathable, they
offer extended wear time and reduced heat stress. SARATOGA protective garments are
durable and can be laundered repeatedly, reducing total lifecycle costs.
Only SARATOGA fabrics are qualified for use in the JSLIST chemical protective
overgarment and JPACE aircrew coverall. Tex-Shield’s other products include the Hammer
Suit, chemical protective undergarments, gloves, footwear, and filtration media.
Tex-Shield, Inc.
3 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 700, Bethesda, MD 20814
Tel: +1 (301) 941-1828 E-mail: info@tex-shield.com
Web: www.bluecher.com/en/brands/Saratoga

CAPABILITY PROFILES
CRISTANINI
Cristanini systems join reliable, ruggedized particular using bio decontaminants and
and simple systems with one multispectral special steam applicators. In order to
decon/detox product BX 24 effective against complete a width range of products for a
CWA, BWA, TICs and emerging diseases. safer world, Cristanini shows its excellence
The range of decontaminants that Cristanini in industrial, environmental and also
can offer has been expanded with other firefighting area in particular with systems for
products such as BX 40, for the exterior of first attack of fire area in open and confined
the aircrafts, helicopters and nuclear spaces. Cristanini company is NATO
decontamination, BX 29 for personnel constructor since 1987 n. A5009.
decontamination and SX 34, a
decontaminant for sensitive equipment.
Another sector where Cristanini operates is
the sanitization of ambulances, tents,
vehicles which transport sick people, in
AirBoss Defense
AirBoss Defense: Develops and manufactures class leading PPE that protects
against CBRN and environmental threats for the defense and first responder
markets. Our products feature superior ergonomics and comfort, while
exceeding US and NATO requirements. An ISO registered, manufacturer of
technically advanced, highest quality, patented Personal Protective Equipment;
Masks, Over Boots, Gloves & Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs);
rapidly deployable, durable Articulating Framed Shelters/ Decontamination
Consequence Management Shelter Systems, Contaminated Patient
Transportation Devices (ISOPODs), Filters and Thermal Targets & PPE are
used by all branches/components in DOD, including the USMC Chemical
Biological Incident Response Force(CBIRF), National Guard CBRN first
response units (CSTs/FSRTs/CERF-Ps/HRFs), foreign militaries, the FBI, CIA,
DOS, DOJ, DHS & civilian EMS units, hospitals and law enforcement. Our
Negative Pressure Individual Isolation Transportation Systems (ISO-PODS), are
in use across the U.S. and 13 countries since the Ebola and MERS crisis.
B&W Tek
B&W Tek is the global leader in software capabilities to produce
innovative mobile spectroscopy complete solutions based on
solutions. Since our establishment portable and handheld
in 1997 in Newark, Delaware, USA spectroscopy and laser
as a provider of OEM laser and instrumentation. B&W Tek
spectrometer modules and provides Raman, LIBS, UV-Vis
components, we have grown into and NIR solutions for the
an industry-leading total solutions pharmaceutical, biomedical,
provider, coupling our core materials science, chemical,
technologies with custom design safety, security and research
and manufacturing capabilities. communities. B&W Tek's mobile
We utilize our own key building spectroscopy solutions provide
blocks consisting of point of need measurements for
spectrometers, light sources, actionable results.
sampling accessories and www.tacticid.com
ADS Inc.
We help you understand the benefits, drawbacks, and timelines of your government
contracting options so you can confidently choose the route that best fits your needs.
We work closely with government contract agencies like DLA and GSA every day. Our
team of procurement specialists has decades of Federal and DOD procurement
experience, so they understand the challenges you face, the complexities of
government contracting and how to navigate that process in a smooth and efficient
manner.
We understand boots on the ground because we've walked in their shoes.
Today, ADS has more than 360 employees, a big increase from the original five that
started the company. More than one-quarter of the ADS workforce has served in the
military or held a federal, law enforcement, or first responder role. An even larger
percentage of us come from or are part of a military family.

CBRNeWORLD Governor Gabriel Cinomis, a Prairie Dog, gives his

opinion of CBRN matters from his unique perspective
Prairie Dog
I n what feels a long time ago in an
administration far, far removed from the
kakistocracy now in place, there were
otherwise engage with anyone within the
overarching bureaucracy. The report
caused a great stir within the deliberative
would be that strategies made by fools
aren’t. The document has a section called
Goals and Objectives and on face reading
plans. Plans that took years to develop by body and the overarching bureaucracy was seems to be not too bad. The problem is
(mostly) well-meaning dogs who cared a tasked with producing a further report to the goals and objectives are separate
great deal that these plans and policies provide an innovative, future/forward entities in and of themselves. For example,
followed the law, when enacted would thinking strategy for biological defence. a goal discussing intelligence, forecasting
provide assistance and appropriate action, The project so spawned, as you may and risk assessment does not indicate such
and in the end save lives during a crisis. imagine, took a great deal of time and things are cross cutting. The actions in the
Then The Pumpkin came to Dogtown some truly thoughtful dogs put in their goals and objectives are treated as discrete
and the Dunning-Kruger effect was on full best work. Certain gene editing techniques in time instead of allowing them (as they
active display. Also see the Peter Principle. were just coming into public view and the would be in real events) to be continuous
As mayor of Dogtown, I have some say potential threat of this and other and contiguous with other goals and
over what happens in our fair burrows but technologies was discussed thoroughly. objectives. This is a major flaw. Ms
the overarching bureaucracy dictates to me Then the report was completely taken over Chuckworthy and I do not look forward to
and everyone else certain policies, by the Dogtown Office of Health (DOH), an the months we will have to spend with The
procedures and a budget of nuts. As Ms entire ministry staffed with some of the Pumpkin’s minions and those over at DOH
Chuckworthy is quick to remind me, this is most accomplished chair warmers in any trying to create a silk purse out of this
usually done well, at different speeds over government anywhere. Well, that is unfair filthy sow’s ear.
the years, but those involved are career to the Dogtown Office of Bureau Security Recall that The Pumpkin has not
civil servants and they know what they are for it really is staffed by the meanest, most bothered to bring on a science advisor to
doing, or those that do cover for the few ignorant dogs ever to hold any official assist in explaining anything technical to
who are truly idiots warming a chair. capacity anywhere. him. I suspect this is because (Dunning-
Unfortunately sometimes those chair DOH took the well-researched report, Kruger) he is the best at this science stuff
warmers are called upon to do something decided it was all wrong and threw it all anyway. One might point out The Great
important and flip it up for everyone. down the official shredder. What did the Orange One once got HPV and HIV
Someone thought Dogtown had gone brains trust at DOH invent to supersede the completely mixed up and then bloviated on
soft on biological defence. This mayor does now shredded document? Lacking any whether vaccines were safe or effective.
not understand why, as certainly after the scrap of original thought, and reluctant to In other news, some very brave
Drippy Box incident many policies and meet other filthy government dogs outside nameless scientists are going where no
procedures were put into place (as well as its own sanitised burrow, DOH took the dogs should ever go to investigate the
technology dubious and useful) to prevent existing Dogtown Emergency Response source of the Disgusting Bloody Flux’s
or at least warn of future incidents. The Framework, shoved and inserted the words (DBF) Evil Cousin virus. Once believed by
mayoral den and surrounding burrows are biological and biological defence in as the insane to have been created in a
certainly much better prepared if some many places as possible and decided that laboratory, this virus makes DBF look like a
crazy squirrel decides to mail parcels full of was good enough. No discussion of future case of the sneezies. While fairly confirmed
houmous and Bacillus anthracis. threats. No innovative thinking whatsoever. that flying rats, otherwise known as bats,
Despite all of this, some minion of I suppose when the Framework was carry and spread the Evil Cousin virus (as
bureaucratic orthodoxy felt there needed to originally created nearly twenty years ago it well as DBF) the nocturnal travel of these
be a complete, systematic review of all may have been deemed innovative. plague creatures is not well understood.
biological defence within the government. This abortion of a document then was Therefore, someone forced, I mean funded,
To perform this daunting task, two ancient delivered to the deliberative body who did a group of nameless scientists to crawl into
dogs, long out of government, were not bother to actually read it, thereby very unsafe burrows and place teensy tiny
recruited. Tweetle and Dee proceeded to respecting long standing tradition, ticked a trackers on the bats in the hopes of
create a vast report on the shortcomings of box and gave DOH more nuts to spend. I capturing their movements. Surprisingly,
Dogtown’s biological defence preparations think there might have even been an the Agency for Decreasing Myriad Threats
and readiness. Detailing all that was official pat on the head, maybe even a full funded the whole project. The trick, the
missing circa the turn of two centuries ago, petting. nameless scientists say, is somehow making
the report proclaimed Dogtown open to The document was then lauded by The sure the tracker stays on the creature of
everything from Variola major to the Pumpkin as the official, best ever, super, the night. May I suggest cyanoacrylate or
common sniffles. The report provided could not have been done by anyone else, whatever The Pumpkin uses to keep his
Dogtown with an ‘F’ on biological defence. Dogtown biodefense strategy. This has now hair in place?
Tweetle and Dee’s report had many prompted the creation of a Dogtown
flaws, but the single greatest flaw is neither biodefense implementation plan.
of these dogs bothered to speak to, But Mayor Cinomis, at least there is a ’Til next I poke my head up.
interview, send a questionnaire to, or strategy, some might say. My response Gabriel Cinomis

A Complete
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CBRNe December 2018 cover and spine v2:CBRNe December 2018 cover and spine v2 20/12/2018 12:23 Page 1

Requiem for a town Remember my prayer Dearly beloved

Neutralizing emerging threats

Protecting our troops

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 1

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

2 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

Biofire Defense OBC

CBRNE Convergence Canada 25-28

Is it something I ate? CBRNe World Asymmetric

Federal Resources IBC

First Line Technology 11

Capability profiles Gasmet 35

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 3

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

4 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

radioactive bomb-making material at anti-aircraft shells out of production Flu Express

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 5

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

6 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

FLIR Grifﬁn G510

Download FLIR’s Chem Guidebook to learn more about ID

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

8 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

LBM ISO-POD MALO AMG

MCD SHELTER C420 PAPR M96 FR-C2A1 FLEXAIR

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

10 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

12 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

14 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

Email sales@decon7.com to learn more

Email defense@decon7.com for more information.

Decon7 Systems LLC

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

16 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 17

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

18 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

Gwyn Winfield looks at what a reprise of 1918 flu

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 19

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

20 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 21

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

22 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

www.cbrneworld.com December 2018 CBRNe WORLD 23

infections seem small beer compared

CBRNe Convergence Canada, 16-17 April 2019 www.cbrneworld.com/CBRNe_Convergence_Canada

24 CBRNe WORLD December 2018 www.cbrneworld.com

16-17 April 2019, Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau/Ottawa

Canada has excelled in both civilian