Bioterrorism test set for March 24

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Bioterrorism test set for March 242003-03-17By The Associated PressOKLAHOMA CITY - A crop-duster will start spraying puffs of dust and grain alcohol over central Oklahoma next week in a test to see if weather radar could detect a bioterrorist attack. The test was delayed by a month after residents complained about powdered egg whites and a sterilized natural pesticide that were included in the original test materials. The Army and Environmental Protection Agency are looking for another spot to test the eggs and BT (bacillus thuringiensis), chosen because they resemble the molecular structure of biological and chemical weapons. Federal officials have no plans to delay the start of testing Monday, even if war breaks out in Iraq and residents in the three test areas are extra jittery about post-Sept. 11 fears of terrorists attacking from the sky. "That is not at this time built into the plans," said Army spokeswoman Baker. "There is just so much uncertainty. I'm sure it's in the back of everyone's minds. "Obviously, more than ever, homeland security is very important." The government planned to start the test, which will last several weeks, on Feb. 24. But after residents in Goldsby complained at a government meeting, federal officials re-evaluated the test materials. They also created a Web site and hot line that will have daily recorded messages about scheduled test places and times. Army officials promise to respond promptly to messages left on the hot line, 1-866-223-1101. Goldsby Mayor Glenn Berglan said townspeople initially were concerned about the test but have calmed down. He said he is not too concerned the test might happen while the country is at war, but wishes it would have happened earlier in the interest of homeland security. "I think everybody has a lot of concerns that we might actually have terrorist attacks if war starts," Berglan said. The powdered clay, grain alcohol, which is found in beer, and polyethylene glycol, often used in lotions, are expected to dissipate before reaching the ground, officials said. The materials, all biodegradable and harmless, resemble biological or chemical weapons as far as particle size, weight and density. The Oklahoma test is the latest and most advanced in a series of tests the EPA has held in land, Utah and Florida beginning in early 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Army and EPA dumped powdered egg whites and a bacterium similar to BT over the ocean near Key West, Fla., last April with no ill effects. The test, taking place in Oklahoma because of the state's advanced weather radar system, will help EPA and Army scientists determine how well radar can pick out chemicals or germs in the air. Radar systems will collect data as the materials spray out of the plane, and scientists will analyze it, looking for some way it could help warn the public if there was an attack. Testing is planned east of Goldsby, a small town south of Norman, on a slice of land northwest of Will World Airport and on another piece of land south of the Canadian River in Oklahoma City. http://www.newsok.com/