Terrorist Attacks Using Toxic Industrial

¶ … Terrorist Attacks using Toxic Industrial Materials

The use of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons (CBRN) weapons by terrorists is the most dreaded of the possible worst-case scenarios that can be imagined. Out of these, the possibility of a terrorist attack using Toxic Industrial Materials (TIM) is perhaps the most likely for the simple reason that large quantities of such materials are easily available. This paper discusses the specific threats and toxic materials that could be used by terrorists; it also discusses some such attacks that have already taken place.

What are Toxic Industrial Materials?

Toxic industrial materials are potentially hazardous chemicals that are manufactured, stored, transported, and used in countless industries throughout the world. They are available in gaseous, liquid, or solid state and their chemical and physical properties pose a number of potential hazards. For example, their toxic and carcinogenic properties can cause death or serious health problems after entering the body through inhalation, through the skin, or through digestion; cause fire or destruction due to their combustible, explosive nature; and may destroy or damage crops and plants after coming in contact with them ("Toxic Industrial Chemicals").

Potentially Dangerous Toxic Industrial Chemicals

There are literally thousands of potentially dangerous Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) that can be used by terrorists as weapons. The U.S. Department of Transportation classifies 3,000 chemicals as hazardous, while the U.S. Occupational Safety and Hygiene Administration enforces workplace exposure limits on about 600 chemicals (Eadon). Some TICs that are classified as 'highly hazardous' include ammonia, arsine, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, phosgene, sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and a host of other commonly produced chemicals.

Ways in which TICs can be used by terrorists

Thousands of toxic industrial chemicals, being manufactured all over the world, are stored in large quantities at chemical and manufacturing plants-- often close to densely populated urban centers -- and are freely transported by highway, railway, or ships. Taking advantage of their vulnerability during transport and storage, terrorists could launch an effective TIC attack by simple hijacking a truck that is transporting TICs by road and releasing its contents in a place of their choosing; by detonating a railway car in a populated area; or by bombing chemical storage tanks at a plant located near a city.

The U.S. homeland security experts have estimated that an attack on a chemical plant where dangerous chemicals are stored could result in thousands of deaths. This may not be such an alarmist estimate if we recall that in a chemical factory accident in Bhopal, India in 1984 thousands of people died, when the highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas was released into the atmosphere near a thickly populated city. (Lehrman) more sophisticated chemical weapon can also be developed by terrorists by using easily available toxic industrial chemicals and accessing open sourced 'how-to' information on the Internet. Such 'sophisticated' chemical weapons developed from commonly available TICs are far more toxic and can be used with deadly affect in enclosed spaces, e.g., public buildings like theaters etc. And for targeted killings (Bloomfield).

Terrorists may also use TICs in conjunction with high explosives to exacerbate their destructive effect. For instance, chlorine contained in a beer barrel may be fitted with high explosives so that the deadly gas spreads far and wide when exploded.

Although poisoning of water supplies with TICs is difficult due to the large degree of dilution involved; it becomes feasible when highly toxic materials are introduced in a branch water-supply line serving a smaller area.

Examples of Previous Attacks Using Toxic Industrial Chemicals

The earliest example of the use of chemical weapons occurred during World War I when both groups of adversaries in the conflict (the Central Powers and the Allies) used chlorine and phosgene-- two of the most commonly available toxic industrial chemicals these days -- against each other, resulting in almost 100,000 deaths.

The most famous example of the use of TICs was the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo subways by "Aum Shinrikyo" -- a Japanese apocalyptic cult -- that resulted in the death of 12 people and the hospitalization of thousands. Sarin gas was produced by the terrorists with the help of commonly available toxic industrial chemicals such as dimethyl methylphosphonate, phosphorus trichloride, sodium fluoride and alcohol (Bloomfield). To avoid handling the highly toxic sarin, Aum Shinrikyo created its binary components, and mixed the two at the site of attack; thus releasing the gas.