Threats From Vehicle Bombs in the U.S., Medical Response Preparations to Bio-Terrorism, Intelligence Reform, and New Detection Technologies Highlight March/April Issue of The McGraw-Hill Companies' Homeland Security
NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Many experts believe that bombs made from ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer are now the dominant homeland security threat, according to the cover story in March/April issue of The McGraw Hill Companies' Homeland Security. Carried via trucks or limousines loaded with AN and illegally mixed with motor oil or diesel fuel, security officials warn of plots to cause massive destruction in this method, according to the publication.
If coalition forces in Iraq still haven't managed to thwart suicide bombers, what chance is there to protect this happening in the U.S., where eight billion pounds of AN move through the country annually? Homeland Security reports on a joint effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and The Fertilizer Institute to report suspicious orders of bulk AN, and promising detection technologies. The magazine says these highly classified technologies include vapor and particle sensors, chemical luminescence, pulse-fast neutron, gamma-and-x-ray analysis, and a $500,000 Car Bomb Finder which has achieved 95% accuracy after analyzing a car in as little as 30 seconds.
The May/June issue will also feature these critical issues:
* The lack of coordination between healthcare facilities and agencies
The magazine reports that since 9/11, funding for healthcare response to
terrorism has increased from $50,000 to $1 billion for state and local
public health units, but experts say that "To respond effectively to a
mass-casualty crisis, the U.S. healthcare system needs to develop a
national blueprint incorporating plans from multiple levels of
government, non-government agencies, and the private sector."
* The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
The law that ushered sweeping changes in the U.S. intelligence apparatus
also included significant provisions aimed at upgrading border and
transportation security. Jim Williams, director of DHSs' US-VISIT
foreign entry programs tells the magazine "Only half of that bill was
about intelligence reform; the other half was (about) immigration and
boarder issues." While experts agree that increasing the number of
boarder guards is needed, a larger priority should be in developing
technologies to screen cargo without disrupting commerce, according to
the magazine.
* Several transportation technologies that may help improve the ability to
screen airline passengers.
Homeland Security reports that trace-portal screeners, also known as
"puffer machines" after the puff of air that gently hits passengers to
detect explosives, is being tested at seven airports. Also, backscatter
x-ray technology is currently being tested utilizing very low-power
x-ray generators to penetrate some substances, including clothing, for
detection purposes. But backscatter technology is not without its
critics, as sources tell Homeland Security x-ray exposure and privacy
issues need to be resolved. Regardless, the magazine reports
backscatter technology is in use at the CN Tower in Toronto, several
nuclear sites in the U.S., and is being tested at Heathrow Airport in
London.
Homeland Security publishes six times a year and is part of a suite of information services from The McGraw-Hill Companies that help decision-makers in the private and public sectors develop strategies, examine products and services to safeguard citizens, infrastructure and other assets. The expertise of The McGraw-Hill Companies' BusinessWeek, Aviation Week Group, McGraw-Hill Construction, Platts, and Standard & Poor's is used to publish Homeland Security and Homeland Security & Defense newsletter, organize the annual Homeland Security Summit & Exposition, and host a dedicated website of integrated editorial content at http://www.mcgraw-hillhomelandsecurity.com/.
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