CBRNE Hazards and Vulnerabilities

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CBRNE Hazards and Vulnerabilities

• Joe Hughart,
• MS, MPH, RHSP
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Objectives

• Provide a leveling briefing on chemical,
  biological, radiation, nuclear, and explosion
  hazards.
• Identify potential vulnerabilities.
• Introduce options for reducing vulnerabilities
  further discussion during the conference.

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Risk

• Risk Hazard x Probability
• An all hazards approach combines threat
  assessments for chemical, biological, radiation,
  nuclear, and explosion hazards and risks.
• Probabilities vary with time and place, so we
  will focus mainly on hazards.

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CBRNE Hazards Al Qaeda
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CBRNE Hazards Iraq
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CBRNE Hazards Chechen Militants
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Hazards South Asia/Aus/NZ/Pacific
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CBRNE Hazards Latin America
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CBRNE Hazards North Korea
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CBRNE Accidents

• Chemical industries in India, S. Korea, Taiwan,
  China
• Radiation release from Metzamor Reactor
• Powder refinery explosions (e.g., Taiwan,
  China)

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Vulnerabilities

• Staff casualties (short- long-term effects)
• Insurance liability
• Disruption of services to people in need
• Funding agencies (e.g., USAID) lose service
  providers

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Reducing Vulnerabilities How Should We Prepare?

• Assess threats.
• Define missions.
• Define needs.
• Procure equipment.

• Establish medical monitoring programs.
• Train.
• Coordinate deployments (deploy the right teams,
  in the right sequences).

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Assess Threats

• Monitor news releases
• Attend briefings
• Request information from USAID/OFDAs Foreign
  Disasters and Hazardous Substances Database
• Prioritize hazards

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Define Missions

• OFDA
• Assessments in contaminated environments
• Fund NBC-specific relief efforts to save lives
  mitigate suffering
• Not cleanup

• NGOs
• Provide population support in the cold zone
  (1101000)
• Provide medical services in the cold zone
• Not hot zone monitoring

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Define Needs

• Security
• Environmental surveillance
• Confidence in PPE
• Management support
• Program funding
• Competent partners

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Establish Medical Monitoring Programs

• OSHA mandate (limited to US but good template)
• Medical exams
• Respirator fit tests
• Chest X-ray
• Respirator fitness certification

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Procure Equipment

• Cache
• Protective clothing
• Respirators
• Shelters
• Water filters
• Clean food
• Simple monitoring equipment

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Train

• Lecture
• Hands-on
• Realistic
• With your cache equipment
• Repeat basic skills
• Team-building exercises

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Deploy the Right Teams In the Right Sequence

• Deployment Environmental Surveillance
• Pre-DART assessment
• DART CBRNE officer

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Conclusions

• CBRNE hazards exist worldwide.
• CBRNE risks for humanitarian assistance workers
  are increasing.
• NGOs can play a major role in providing
  population support to evacuees in the cold zone.
• Risks can be reduced by training, equipping,
  medically monitoring, and informing staff.

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Recommendations

• Address the problem before an incident.
• Dont despair the problem is manageable.
• Partner with organizations having niche expertise
  (COE, USAID, HHS, UN, universities).
• Do your homework before buying equipment you
  will save a lot of money.
• TRAIN!

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Questions? Suggestions?