Protecting people inside buildings: "it is the need to defend against the next generation of potential terrorist weapons--a witch's brew broadly designated as chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agents--that is driving the current revolution in safety systems.".

• Author: Janus, Michael C.
• Position: Science & Technology

IN OUR POST-9/11 world, security experts can be compared to physicians who find themselves struggling with a new and potentially deadly disease. However, it is unlikely that such high-tech specialists ever will find a single cure for the terror vires because it mutates so quickly, manifesting it self through an ever-changing army of violent acts. Yet, they can, and are, adapting current technologies to provide a substantial measure of protection while the next generation of "miracle drugs" is being developed.

This process can be seen clearly in the area of building protection, a new form of security in which conventional materials and construction techniques are combined with sophisticated sensors, specialized equipment, and computer-driven mechanical controls to protect people against threats that would have been unheard of just a few years ago. As evidenced by attacks in Istanbul, Turkey; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Baghdad, Iraq, which have "killed and injured hundreds of innocent victims, terrorists continue to rely on explosive devices such as car bombs and rocket-propelled grenades to wreak their destruction. Yet, effective means of defending against such assaults, like concrete intrusion barriers and stepped up security patrols, me well-known and can be deployed readily at high-risk sites. It is the need to defend against the next generation of potential terrorist weapons--a witch's brew broadly designated as chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agents--that is driving the current revolution in safety systems.

Buildings are considered highly desirable targets for terrorists, and uniquely susceptible to CBR threat. Whether they are office complexes, hospitals, domed sports stadiums, shopping malls, places of worship, or transportation terminals, such structures can provide terrorists with settings that contain large numbers of potential victims at predictable times. Moreover, some are particularly enticing to radicals because they contain certain categories of individuals whose death or injury would be especially disruptive or demoralizing--the very young or very old, perhaps, or police and civil defense personnel, or members of particular national or ethnic groups. Finally, in our free society, most portions of public spaces are open to intrusion, enabling perpetrators to conduct the reconnaissance necessary for discovering chinks in a structure's defensive armor easily, and deliver an attack that exploits those vulnerabilities with as much devastation as possible.

CBR agents particularly are effective in a building environment: in fact. they are at their deadliest within an enclosed space. If released outdoors, at a country fair, for instance, or on Main Street, wind and sunlight normally would minimize the impact of such substances, quickly diluting their potency to non-lethal levels. Buildings, though, not only keep such toxins concentrated for long periods. their mechanical and ventilation systems can...