Chemical Biological Radiological

Much of the CBR-related activity seen to date has either been criminal, or has involved hoaxes and false alarms. There have so far only been a few examples of terrorists using CBR materials. The most notable were the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, which killed twelve people, and the 2001 anthrax letters in the United States, which killed five people.

CBR weapons have been little used so far, largely due to the difficulty of obtaining the materials and the complexity of using them effectively. Where terrorists have tried to carry out CBR attacks, they have generally used relatively simple materials. However, Al Qaida and related groups have expressed a serious interest in using CBR materials. The impact of any terrorist CBR attack would depend heavily on the success of the chosen dissemination method and the weather conditions at the time of the attack.

The likelihood of a CBR attack remains low. As with other terrorist attacks, you may not receive prior warning of a CBR incident. Moreover, the exact nature of an incident may not be immediately obvious. First indicators may be the sudden appearance of powders, liquids or strange smells within the building, with or without an immediate effect on people. Good general physical and personnel security measures will contribute towards resilience against CBR incidents. Remember to apply appropriate personnel security standards to contractors, especially those with frequent access to your site.