Proposed federal funding could mean subway system operators become more involved next year in efforts against bioterrorism. President Clinton recently asked Congress to add $294 million to his FY'99 budget request. This includes:

• $94 million for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to build the first civilian stockpile of antidotes and antibiotics to respond to a large-scale biological or chemical attack and to improve the public health surveillance system to quickly detect chemical/biological agents and analyze resulting disease outbreaks.

• $10 million for the National Institutes of Health for research on bioterrorist agents and counter vaccines and therapies.

Specialized Equipment and Training Needed

• $190 million for HHS, the Department of Justice and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for specialized equipment training and planning assistance for responding to a chemical/biological attack. Most of the training and equipment would go to state and local first responders. Funds would also provide added chemical/biological detection devices and protection suits to the FBI.

Part of the motivation for the biological counterterrorism effort results from the 1995 nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subways that killed 12 people and injured 3,800. In addition, subways worldwide always have been a prime target for terrorists because they are easily accessible and are transportation lifelines for many cities.

Congress already has provided about $100 million for emergency training of local officials on unconventional terrorist attacks. Mock attacks - some involving transit systems - have been staged in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Denver.

New York, for example, has stockpiled germ detectors, arranged for emergency medical services to be supplied by suburban hospitals, and contracted with drug companies to supply antidotes and medicines in case of attack.

To prevent rescuers from being exposed to lethal agents, the city has acquired several hundred portable detectors to help identify an infectious strike. New York also has spent more than $1 million for two emergency trailers equipped with containment vessels that can isolate dangerous chemicals. For more information, call the Department of Health and Human Services at (202) 619-0257. (from 7/1/98 Urban Transit News)

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