News and Public Affairs

Auburn, Feb. 21, 2003 --- Perhaps speaking more as a physician than as the Senate majority leader, Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist, who practiced medicine before entering the political arena, advised Americans to “stash away the duct tape” as a safeguard against a terrorist attack.

As far as one expert is concerned, that is the best advice that has yet been given.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had earlier advised Americans to consider using duct tape and plastic to insulate their homes against possible attacks from chemical and biological weapons, though he later retracted this advice after it triggered national anxiety and buying sprees at hardware stores.

Frist isn’t the only one with doubts about the effectiveness of these materials. At Auburn University, Dr. James E. Hairston, an Extension water quality specialist with a background in organic chemistry, believes use of these materials even may be self-defeating in the case of chemical attacks. This is partly because wide open, as opposed to confined, spaces are often the best protection against such weapons.

“Chemical weapons differ widely, but generally speaking, you’re talking about weapons that are designed to be heavier than air so that they will concentrate around confined areas where people are likely to hide -- basements, cellars, ditches, that type of thing,” Hairston says.

This partly accounts for why many military experts consider chemical weapons so inefficient. Many would even contend that they are not “weapons of mass destruction” at all but terror weapons designed to frighten more than kill.

“Most of these chemical agents would have to be delivered in high enough quantities to kill or injure, which is often next to impossible when weather conditions aren’t right,” Hairston says.

The sarin attacks that occurred in Japan in the mid-1990s underscore how inefficient such weapons often prove to be.

“Chemical weapons typically have to be delivered in high enough quantities to be effective,” Hairston says. “And in the case of the sarin attacks in Japan, the conditions seemed to be ideal. Yet, only about 10 percent of the people exposed to the gas were injured – and many of these recovered in only a few hours. Only 1 percent of the injured eventually died.”

It is a problem complicated even more by weather conditions such as erratic wind patterns. In most instances, the stronger the wind, the more diluted these agents will become and the less likely someone will be exposed to a lethal dose. This raises the issue of whether duct tape and plastic really are the best safeguards against these weapons.

“Sometimes, people do really stupid things, such as driving a car directly into the vapor of a chlorine spill hoping that the car will provide insulation from the gas,” Hairston says. “As it turns out, they’re probably putting themselves at even greater risk because the car actually traps larger amounts of the gas.”

“Their best chance under the circumstances is leaving the car and running upwind from the spill,” he adds. “That way they increase the likelihood they’ll be exposed to only lower, nonlethal amounts of the vapor.”

More often than not, the same principle holds true in the aftermath of a chemical attack, Hairston says.

“If possible, what you want to do is get in a wide open space, preferably upwind from where the attack has occurred,” he says. “In some cases, seeking shelter in a house that has only been partly insulated may increase the risk of exposing yourself to even higher levels, because the enclosed space may trap larger amounts of the chemical.”

Biological agents, on the other hand, are a different matter. Duct tape and plastic can provide more protection against these materials. But they are no guarantee, since even low exposure to these agents can result in infection.

A far more effective safeguard is making sure you are close enough to a medical facility that can provide antibiotics in the aftermath of an attack. Vaccinations -- and, in the case of small pox, even revaccinations – are also a vital safeguard.

Biological agents also survive longer in wet, as opposed to dry, conditions. So, as an added precaution, keep your garbage can with a tight lid on it and remove sources of standing water – bird baths, kiddy pools and empty plant containers.

The important thing to remember is that most terrorists are in the business of trying to spread fear and panic. Also, America is a huge country, and one’s risk of being injured or killed during a biological attack is less likely than being hit by a drunk driver, Hairston says.

Instead of investing hundreds of dollars in duct tape and plastics, Americans would be better off preparing for the equivalent of a big storm, Hairston says. This should include about a three-day supply of nonperishable food and water, including a gallon a day for each person. Also make sure you have flashlights, a battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit and some identification. Special needs such as diapers, baby formula and prescription medicine also should be taken into account.

(Source: Dr. James E. Hairston, Extension Water Quality Scientist, 334-844-3973)

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