Chap. 13. Terrorism, Toxicity, and Vulnerability 345- “Toxic Chemicals and Explosive Materials,” Chapter 4 in Making the Nation Safer:
The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism, Bruce Alberts, William
A. Wulf, and Kenneth I. Shine, Eds., The National Academies Press, Washington,
DC, 2002, pp. 107–134. - Kolavic, Shellie A., Akiko Kimura, Shauna L. Simons, Laurence Slutsker, Suzanne
Barth, and Charles E. Haley, “An Outbreak of Shigella dysenteriae Type 2 Among
Laboratory Workers Due to Intentional Food Contamination,” Journal of the American
Medical Association, 278 , 396–8 (1997). - Derr, Mark, “With Dog Detectives, Mistakes Can Happen,” New York Times, Dec. 24,
2002, p. D1. - As quoted in “Green Solutions to Global Problems,” Stephen K. Ritter, Chemical and
Engineering News, 81 , 31–33 (2003).
QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS
- At the beginning of this chapter, it was noted that the Alfred P. Murrah Oklahoma City
Federal Building was destroyed in 1995 by the explosion of a mixture of ammonium
nitrate (chemical formula NH 4 NO 3 ) and diesel fuel (C 16 H 32 ). An explosion occurs
when chemicals react very rapidly to produce much more stable chemical species,
gases, and heat. Consider that H 2 O, CO 2 , and N 2 are very stable forms of the elements
present in a mixture of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel, that CO 2 , and N 2 are gases,
and that at the temperature of an explosion H 2 O is a gas as well. Attempt to write a
chemical reaction that occurs when a mixture of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel
explodes. - Nitroglycerin explodes by itself without having to react with any other chemical.
Look up its formula and, from the information given in the preceding question, give
a possible chemical reaction for a nitroglycerin explosion. - Consider the infrastructure of your home. Suggest how it might be vulnerable
because of the interconnectivity in it. Suggest how cascading failures might do great
damage to your home life. - For a 75-kg person, estimate the lethal dose in grams, milligrams, or micrograms of
each of the toxic substances shown in Figure 13.2. - Exposure of a person to toxic benzene can be estimated by measuring phenol in blood.
Explain the rationale for such an analysis. Why is benzene epoxide not commonly
determined to estimate benzene exposure? - Consider the toxicity of inhaled carbon monoxide in the context of Figure 13.3.
Identify for carbon monoxide the receptor, the abnormal biochemical effect, and the
physiological response manifesting toxicity.