National Security and Homeland Defense Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century (2002) / Chapter Skim
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2. Grand Challenges
2. Grand Challenges
Pages 12-17
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From page 12... ...
THREAT REDUCTION Our economic success revolves around energy. Although we are only 4 percent of the world's population, we consume just under one-quarter of all the energy produced (and in so doing are the largest generator of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning)
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From page 13... ...
essential for manufacturing these strategic products or services may be vulnerable to interruption, particularly if raw materials or intermediates are produced in few or off-shore locations, involve dangerous or unstable materials that cannot or should not be inventoried in large quantities, or are transported by vulnerable methods along vulnerable routes. A critical challenge to reducing the potential for chemical systems interruption includes the development of mitigation strategies, for example, the development of alternative sources of supply, establishment of strategic reserves, contingencies for rapid replacement of production capability, alternative transportation modes, and the development of alternative intrinsically more secure and less vulnerable chemistries.
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From page 14... ...
For example, a chemical or radiological attack will present a hazardous materials problem because the chemical agents remain localized and the threat is not contagious, whereas an attack with biological agents will require a public health response because of the likelihood of spread beyond the point of exposure due to high communicability.2 Integrated information systems will be required to coordinate and maximize the effectiveness of a diverse group of responders and a broadbased public health infrastructure must exist. Panic in the population will be reduced by education of the public about the nature of terrorist threats and how to respond to reduce injury.
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From page 15... ...
ports of entry, where shipping containers and vehicles should be checked for evidence of chemical weapons, biological weapons, and explosives. Beyond detection, the capability to unambiguously identify observed threat agents is required to maximize the effectiveness of our response.
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From page 16... ...
Unambiguous identification of threat agents requires integration of detector response with databases of signatures of known threat agents, and the capability to recognize new threat agents from a generic property. The principle of orthogonality multiple, uncorrelated analytical techniques in one sensor must be included in the research and development.
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From page 17... ...
Outside the chemical industry, however, organized systems are not in place to react to an intentional release of toxic chemicals or biological agents. Critical challenges for chemists and chemical engineers in this area include development of appropriate collective and personal protection systems for first responders, hazardous materials (HAZMAT)
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