I've seen reports that explain this in more detail on the local news. The media in this town has whipped quite a few people into an anxiety frenzy. It's frustrating, because they're spreading vague, nebulous fears coupled with a bit of misinformation.From: "J. van Baardwijk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Scouted: Nervous New York Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 15:46:40 +0100At 14:41 13-2-2003 -0500, Jon Gabriel wrote:A memo issued Friday briefed police officers on how to detect chemical agents: sarin is a colorless vapor that smells like Juicy Fruit gum; cyanide smells like burnt almonds.I wonder if the author of that memo realised that, by the time you actually smell that stuff, it's already too late...
I was under the impression that cyanide and sarin could be detected by smell in trace amounts without causing harm. For instance, if a room containing the gas (and presumably victims) were vented, a slight odor would remain? Does anyone know if this is true?
Some idiot on Long Island (or was it Jersey? Fer sure it wasn't Queens) shrink-wrapped his entire house. The reporter quoted him as saying his wife wasn't too happy about it. (I've started talking to the TV again... it's not good.) But, the tv and print media actually were the ones that suggested that people duct tape their windows. (That may have originally come from a gov't source, I dunno.)Individual New Yorkers are weighing their own behavioral choices. Jodi Vigar, an administrative assistant who works in Manhattan and lives in Staten Island, vetoed the idea of buying duct tape and plastic to seal her windows.Saw a news report on that yesterday, in which a woman was actually using duct tape and plastic to seal her windows. Can't be good for the ventilation of the house. The report also included footage of people shopping in a New York store that specialises in stuff like gas masks, emergency kits and stuff like that. The place was visited by the same reporter a few months ago; back then there were hardly any customers, now the place was crowded. The owner said that before last Friday, he sold less than 10 gas masks per day; now they were going out by the dozens each day.
I'm still trying to decide which would be a sign of greater stupidity: buying or not buying a gas mask. I also am keeping in mind that I want my wife to be safe from harm.
It also showed that educating the public is still needed: one woman said she was buying Iodine, because it would protect her in case of a chemical attack...
You mean it WON'T?!? WTF am I supposed to do wit.... *sigh* :) I'd laugh at her, but I may just cry instead.
Well, this usually isn't as much of a problem as you might think. I believe parents are just trying to maintain a semblance of protective control over their kids.<snipped a lot of other stuff that showed that terrorism works>Some mothers and fathers, who long ago returned their teenage children to the subways, have been driving them to and from school, just to be on the safe side.Thus increasing the traffic around schools, thereby increasing the risk of having those kids getting hit by a car (not to mention the traffic congestion). Brilliant...
Jon
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