A study of the vulnerability of subway passengers in New York City to covert action with biological agents
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Description
Creators/Contributors
- Contributor
- United States. Army. Commodity Development and Engineering Laboratory, issuing body.
Contents/Summary
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical reference (page 29).
- Summary
- "A series of trials was conducted to evaluate the vulnerability of subway systems to covert biological attack. The trials were conducted in three major north-south subway lines within an approximate 2 square-mile area of mid-manhattan, New York City. A Harmless simulant biological agent was disseminated both within the subway tubes and from the street into subway stations. Dropping an agent device onto the subway roadbed from a rapidly moving train proved an easy and effective method for the covert contamination of portions of subway lines. Agent delivered in this manner was aerosolized and dispersed rapidly by the movement of trains, penetrating stations and trains in the area and persisting there for one hour or more. Dissemination of agent into subway stations via the air intake grills at street level also proved feasible, although the degree of contamination and persistence were lower, primarily because of the smaller amounts of agent disseminated in the trials with this method. Conversion of the simulant data from the trials to equivalent data for pathogenic agents indicated that similar covert attacks with a pathogenic agent during peak traffic periods could be expected to expose large numbers of people to infection and subsequent illness or death. Although complete protections of subways against covert biological attack probably cannot be provided under any circumstances, the hazard probably can be reduced by education plus expanded security measures."--Abstract.
- Supplemental links
- www.liebertpub.com
Subjects
- Subjects
- Biological weapons > New York (State) > New York > Testing.
Bibliographic information
- Publication date
- 1968
- Title variation
- Short title: Test tube study. I. Results of tests
- Note
- "CB-018106."
- L.L. Laughlin, Jr., Ph.D. stamped on title page.
- Formerly classified. Released via FOIA request #FA-19-0015, distribution unlimited.
- Funding information
- 18522301A080
