CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- September 22, 2006

Spinach Scare’s Larger Warning

“Even as government health experts urge Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables, federal rules for protecting consumers from such hazards as the current E. coli outbreak from contaminated spinach are weaker than for meat and poultry. And as food-borne illnesses attributed to produce appear to be rising, budget squeezes have federal regulators retreating rather than attacking. Compliance with safety guidelines on the handling of produce is voluntary and federal inspectors conduct fewer and fewer checkups, according to government documents and interviews with consumer groups and a top former Food and Drug Administration official. For example, since the FDA hired inspectors in the wake of bioterrorism concerns after the Sept. 11 attacks, the government has been steadily thinning their ranks. The number of FDA staff in field offices around the country shrank from 2,217 in 2003 to 1,962 currently, budget documents indicate.” (Los Angeles Times, 22Sep06, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar) http://www.latimes.com
/news/printedition/front
/la-na-spinach22sep22,1,61
88293.story?coll=la-headlines-f
rontpage&track=crosspromo

House committee approves biodefense measure

“The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday passed legislation to promote countermeasures to bioterrorism and other public health threats. The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006 (H.R. 5533), expands on Project BioShield, which was signed into law two years ago. The bill establishes a point of authority in the federal government -- the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority -- to coordinate and facilitate efforts to develop countermeasures for bioterrorism or pandemic infectious diseases.” (GovExec.com; 21Sep06; Kristen A. Lee, Congress Daily)
http://www.govexec.com
/dailyfed/0906/092106markup1.htm

GAO [Government Accountability Office] joins inquiry of CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] with 2 audits

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, beset with low morale and growing staff dissent, is now under investigation by the Government Accountability Office, an inspector general and a second member of Congress. At the request of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, who has been investigating turmoil at CDC since the spring, the GAO has opened two investigations, his spokeswoman said Wednesday evening. One audit, prompted in part by a CDC whistle-blower, is examining whether the CDC is properly overseeing a $3.8 billion program of state bioterrorism grants. The second is examining whether the CDC is meeting its responsibility to provide guidance to state and local health departments in preparing for future public health emergencies, said Jill Kozeny, Senate Finance Committee spokeswoman. Grassley (R-Iowa) is chairman of the committee.”
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 21Sep06, Alison Young)
http://www.ajc.com/metro
/content/metro/stories
/2006/09/21/meshcdchotline0921b.html

Panel to analyze biolab proposal

“A nine-member panel of real estate agents, educators and others will explore a proposal to build a biological weapons and agricultural disease research laboratory before the [Tracy, California] City Council takes a position on the issue, council members decided Tuesday night. Mayor Dan Bilbrey asked that the Tracy Tomorrow and Beyond committee delve into the proposal and report its findings to the council in January.” (The Record, 21Sep06)
http://www.recordnet.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20060921/NEWS01/60920013/1001/NEWS01

OSU [Oklahoma State University] gets NIH [National Institutes of Health] grant for bioterrorism research

“Oklahoma State University receives a 2.9 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to further its efforts in bioterrorism research. OSU researchers are screening drugs that could be used to combat bioterrorism and emerging infectious disease agents. OSU's veterinary center is one of five institutes involved in an in-vitro screening project. Professor William Barrow says the funding will allow the school to shift from concentrating mostly on testing potential bioterrorism agents to the emerging infectious diseases arena.” (KFOR, 21Sep06, AP)
http://www.kfor.com
/global/story.asp?s=5439433

Boston passes stiff biolab requirements

“Biological research labs working with the most dangerous materials face stiffer city oversight under new rules approved by the board of the Boston Public Health Commission. Under the regulations passed Tuesday night, labs doing work at biosafety level 3 and 4 must obtain a permit from the commission, set up a safety committee that includes two outside community members and submit regular reports on research and safety procedures. In addition, Boston labs can't try to create weapons or conduct classified research and must hold public meetings to disclose research being done.”
(Boston Globe, 20Sep06, AP)
http://www.boston.com
/news/local/massachusetts/
articles/2006/09/20/boston_
passes_stiff_biolab_requirements/

Railroads to upgrade security at terminals

“The Long Island and Metro-North railroads have approved a joint contract for improving Grand Central Terminal's chemical detection system and installing one in the LIRR section of Penn Station, LIRR officials said. The $4-million contract will allow the MTA to expand a chemical-detection technology that it has been testing at Grand Central for two years, said Lewis Schiliro, director of interagency preparedness for the MTA. The system is ‘designed to detect chemicals that at least historically have been used by terrorist organizations,’ Schiliro said yesterday.” (Newsday, 21Sep06, Jennifer Maloney)
http://www.newsday.com
/news/local/longisland/n
y-lichem214900176sep21,0,5300427.story

OPCW and IUPAC Develop Code of Ethical Principles of Chemistry

“From 21 to 22 September 2006, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is meeting in Bologna, Italy, to convene a joint seminar on the OPCW/IUPAC chemical education and outreach project. Both the OPCW and IUPAC have collaborated in the past to review the verification of chemical weapons destruction and non-proliferation. The present project seeks to establish general ethical principles and a code of conduct for the scientific community dealing with chemistry. The development of a Code of Ethics was discussed to ensure that university and post-graduate curricula in chemistry will include education in the ethical norms that govern the peaceful uses of chemistry.” (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 21Sep06) http://www.opcw.org
/pressreleases/2006/PR60_2006.html

Feds surveyed NYC [New York City] for radiation, found tainted park

“Anti-terrorism officials conducted a helicopter survey of New York City's radiation sources in preparation for a so-called ‘dirty bomb’ attack — and discovered a Staten Island park with dangerously high levels of radium, a new report found. Federal authorities found 80 unexpected ‘hot spots’ around New York City, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The GAO report released Thursday details a previously undisclosed aerial anti-terrorism program in New York City, one which may be extended to other cities worried about the possible release of radioactive material by terrorists.” (Staten Island Live; 21Sep06; Devlin Barrett, AP)
http://www.silive.com
/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/bas
e/news-20/1158884056194370.xml&storylist=simetro

Indo-US deal might spur terror attacks in India: Expert

“The Indo-US civilian nuke deal might increase the threat of terrorist attacks against India’s nuclear facilities, a science scholar with the US Council of Foreign Relations has warned. Writing in the Christian Science Monitor, Charles Ferguson argues that the threats could grow in one of the three ways: Facilitating a substantial expansion of India’s plutonium stockpile in the civilian and military sectors and in the hands of terrorists could [sic] to crude devastating bombs including what has commonly known as the ‘dirty bomb’.” (ZeeNews.com, 21Sep06) http://www.zeenews.com
/articles.asp?aid=324319&sid=NAT&ssid=

Ricin scare closes bank

“A local [Mississippi] bank was temporarily closed this morning while local, state, and federal officials checked it for a poisonous substance. Authorities were following up on a phone call saying that ricin, a deadly poisonous material was left at the bank yesterday, The Daily Star was told. The phone call was apparently a hoax. At press time no indications of any poisonous substance had been found.” (Grenada Daily Star, 21Sep06)
http://www.zwire.com
/site/news.cfm?newsid
=17229661&BRD=1433&
PAG=461&dept_id=170165&rfi=6