U.S. Report: Air Sampling Protects Against Bioterror

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The threat of bioterrorism is a major concern of the 21st century. As part of its counterterrorism practice, the U.S. government uses air and surface sampling techniques in order to detect the presence of harmful pathogens in the air, potentially saving lives.

Dr. Alexander Garza, former chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and his team of researchers reviewed data from a series of experiments simulating a bioterrorism attack against the Pentagon. These experiments took place in 2005 and 2009, when the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) tested its preparedness by conducting mock attacks, which involved releasing harmless bacteria – it did contain small portions of the anthrax stimulant – into the air.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

According to the Science Times authorities usually discover exposure to a biological agent when a person becomes ill, such as during the anthrax attacks of 2001, Garza said. Once a potentially life-threatening bacteria is released into the air, a large number of people may become infected and die. “This experiment confirmed that a biological attack could be detected earlier using air sampling which means public health would have more time to respond,” he said.