From: Mgdarwin@cs.com
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 03:14:20 EDT
Subject: Chemical, Nuclear & Biological

Dave Pizer asks what will happen to cryonicists who die or who become ill in 
a biological warfare/terrorism situation. Both military and civilian planners 
have been considering this alternative seriously for the past decade. The 
threat is properly designated Chemical, Nuclear and Biological (CNB) warfare 
or terrorism. Recently government action in this area has become much more 
aggressive.

Given the government's swift action in grounding all civil aircraft, and the 
swift action of CNB units to schools in Southern California after two "hoax 
threats" this is what would happen:

1) All exposed people would be decontaminated on site providing the threat 
was known and the site quarantined.

2) The credibility of the threat would be ascertained. If it was deemed to be 
real or possibly real, all exposed individuals would be removed to 
prophylaxis and treatment centers set up from highly portable, 
self-contained, HEPA-filter gear remote from civilian areas (probably a 
military base). Transport to these centers would not be elective; they are 
protective detention camps.

3) Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) would be given if available against the 
agent and the affected population would be watched for development of 
disease. Regrettably, for large numbers of exposed people PEP would either 
not be available (stockpiles are not adequate), ineffective in many cases, or 
not possible (etiologic agent is novel or no known prophylaxis or treatment 
exists; the hemorrhagic fevers would be examples).

4) If disease develops and results in deaths, early victims would be 
autopsied to verify the initial diagnosis and to be certain that the disease 
was following its natural history and had not been modified from the wild 
type if it is an existing pathogen (such as anthrax).

5) Depending upon the novelty and pathogenicity of the etiologic agent 
samples might be sent to off site locations for further evaluation, such as 
the CDC in Atlanta, or government facilities which few civilians know exist 
and if they do, they aren't talking. All such sample receiving facilities 
would have P4 rating.

6) All human and animal remains aside from tissue and fluid samples for 
medical/scientific evaluation would be cremated. End of discussion. 

The above presumes a limited, deliberate and relatively contained assault 
with a known etiologic agent. If the number of casualties is too high for the 
scenario described above, all traffic in all likely affected areas will be 
stopped. Just as the President issued orders to shoot down the civilian jet 
liner headed toward the White House and the Pentagon, similar orders would be 
activated automatically to deal with any unauthorized personnel trying to 
leave the quarantined area.

Within the quarantined area (or in the even that the etiologic agent is 
widespread (say over a significant geographical area of the US) detention 
centers will be set up. All individuals exposed to the etiologic agent or 
deemed to present a risk of transmission will be taken to detention centers 
where they will be triaged according to their condition. If you live within a 
large geographical area which has been affected or is quarantined these 
detention centers should be avoided under almost all circumstances. They will 
not be called detention centers; they will be called treatment and 
prophylaxis centers. In reality they will be death camps. Your first tip-off 
you are not in a good place will be the presence of heavy earth moving 
equipment on the site when you arrive. 

If a quarantine area is large (an entire state or large geographical region) 
the quarantine should (in my opinion) be respected both on moral and 
commonsense medical grounds. Under these conditions, isolating yourself 
within the quarantine area and avoiding the detention or "treatment and 
prophylaxis" facilities would seem more than prudent.

There are many, many other precautions and even post-attack prophylaxis which 
can be used to good end if people are prepared in advance of a CNB terrorist 
act. I personally keep a range of items, most simple, some not, all 
relatively inexpensive, at the ready. If the WTC attack has any lessons to 
teach it is that chance is often fate. If you were on the observation deck 
you didn't make it. However, and equally valid lesson is that chance favors 
the prepared; rapid evacuation of the building saved thousands of lives. At 
one point the WTC PA system was urging people in the South tower to return to 
their desks. Those who had been through the first terrorist attack pretty 
uniformly refused to do this and urged their coworkers to leave with them. 
Experience and preparedness can save many lives.

If you want to survive a CNB attack and are interested in what can be done 
for preparedness in the Western United States please contact me by email. 

mgdarwin@cs.com

Mike Darwin