Web Site Offers Advice On Handling Chemical Attacks

Compiled ByJill Jusko Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a Web site, securebuildings.lbl.gov, that delivers scientific advice about how to respond to chemical or biological attacks against buildings and their occupants. The site offers pointers in two areas: how to reduce the vulnerability of buildings to chemical or biological agents prior to attacks in the long and short term, and what actions to take with regard to a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to control the spread of agents during an emergency. Researchers say they will update the site as new research becomes available. The site is not designed to address large-scale accidental releases such as might occur at a chemical plant or nuclear facility.