Is the Building Industry Ready for Chemical and Biological Attacks?
One Expert Doesn’t Think So

After heading up a seminar in January providing guidance on building security and emergency planning that attracted nearly 150 attendees, Dr. Harmohindar Singh is still disappointed in the industry’s relative lack of interest in the topic. After 9/11, he says, “people are sleepy. They have no idea this could occur again. Not only can this happen from a terrorist point of view, this could happen from somebody who is dejected… Overall, I don’t think the building industry has woken up.”

Singh, who is director of the Center for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) at North Carolina A&T State University, led the free public session during the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 2008 winter meeting. Four speakers discussed the impact of attacks involving chemical and biological agents (CBA) and how to prepare for such attacks.

Singh argues that being prepared is always important, particularly because CBA attacks can be relatively easy to carry out. For example, someone could release a CBA into a building through the building’s air intake system, which may bring in fresh air through vents found in a city street.

According to Singh, the first line of defense against CBA attacks starts with the building design. He believes that it’s easier to incorporate elements into the design of a building that can mitigate the effects of CBA attacks rather than to modify the buildings after they’ve been constructed.

“Things can happen, and may happen,” says Singh. “And it will be very, very expensive to modify buildings. It’s better that we do it now.”

One of the defensive design features he recommends is the use of filters with a high minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), particularly in air intake systems. Those with higher MERV ratings are better able to filter out particulates, and can help protect building occupants against a biological attack. (On the other hand, carbon filters can help defend against chemical attacks by absorbing the chemicals released into the air.)

Another important design feature he recommends incorporating into buildings is separate ventilations systems, especially for public areas, such as lobbies, and more at-risk areas, such as mail rooms. With a separate ventilation system for a mail room, for example, there are fewer chances of an entire building becoming contaminated should the mail room receive a package laced with anthrax.

But building design is only one part of the equation. Building owners also need to have a plan for handling a CBA attack. How to respond to this type of incident can be very different than what to do during a fire.

“With a fire, everyone knows to get out, but in this case, the damage might be outside, so if you tell everyone to get out, what happens if the trouble is outside?” asks Singh.

Singh and his colleagues recommend the use of sheltering in place (SIP) for CBA attacks. SIP is a room that building occupants can go to during an incident. It is most effective if the building envelope is tight and it is ideal for people to use when they are unsure of whether it is safe or not to evacuate the building.

To learn more about preparing for CBA attacks and to access additional materials produced on this topic by CERT, visit the organization’s website at http://cert.ncat.edu.

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