Advertisement

Bioterrorism: Could it happen?

Earlier this week, the FAA grounded all planes known as "crop dusters" out of fear they could be used by terrorists to spread biological or chemical agents. The New York Times reported that several of the suspects arrested after the hijacking had licenses to transport hazardous material, which has led to concern about possible theft of dangerous chemicals.

Gas masks and other protective equipment have been flying off the shelves as Americans prepare for a possible chemical or biological attack. But bioterrorism expert Rocco Casagrande says the unique difficulties in dispersing biological agents make a successful attack unlikely.

Guests:

Rocco Casagrande: bioterrorism expert who heads a project to design a device to detect a biological attack;

Jean Gilman: Senior Fellow at MIT's Security Studies Program

This program aired on September 26, 2001. The audio for this program is not available.

Advertisement

More from On Point

Listen Live
Close