Chemical
A positive vote of 84-14 in the Senate passed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 through its final legislative hurdle last week, advancing it to President Joe Biden to sign.
The legislation introduced by U.S. Sens.... Read More »
An effort to net federal firefighters financial support for illnesses and diseases acquired from their duties – the Federal Firefighter Fairness Act – was advanced by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) this week.
“Every day across the country,... Read More »
Engineering, construction, and project management firm Bechtel recently detailed the elimination of the last U.S. chemical weapon containing VX nerve agent.
The action was executed at the Bechtel-led Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) near Richmond, Kentucky, marking... Read More »
Backed by the European Union, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) created and launched a new training initiative this week to raise awareness among universities, academics, and researchers about the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and global disarmament.
“We live... Read More »
Members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council attended a meeting in The Hague last week to assess the progress of chemical weapons destruction efforts in the United States as they hone in on completion.
As a matter of demilitarization transparency,... Read More »
The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) team, led by engineering company Bechtel, began eradicating its final round of mustard agent weapons this week at a facility in Pueblo, Colo.
“Safe elimination of the Pueblo stockpile helps the U.S. government meet its international... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Michael Guest (R-MS) recently introduced a measure they said would ensure fentanyl smuggler accountability for their role in the nation's opioid epidemic.
The Fentanyl Trafficker Elimination Act seeks to increase... Read More »
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing recently to examine the harmful impacts of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at military sites.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) convened the hearing after a Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the deadline for DHS Cooling Solutions Challenge submissions to Feb. 24, 2022.
Through the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), DHS is encouraging domestic innovators to develop... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has released a new Master Question List (MQL) for Synthetic Opioids.
The MQL serves as a reference guide as a means of aiding emergency responders and the research community by providing critical and vetted... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) reopened submissions for redeveloping therapeutics into medical countermeasures against chemical threats last week.
Of interest are therapeutics already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or those in... Read More »
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials are espousing the benefits of ChemLock, a newly initiated voluntary chemical security program.
The endeavor is a voluntary program providing no-cost services and tools to chemical facilities to increase awareness of the risks... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 397-22 to approve a bipartisan bill that aims to reform how the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is administered and managed. The legislation now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
The Strengthening America’s Strategic National... Read More »
Recognizing the additional level of dangerous chemical hazards brought on by storm-damaged infrastructure could cause, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is providing a 24/7 hotline to address a variety of threats and how they could... Read More »
Nerve agent poisoning can result in a quick death, causing the central and peripheral nervous systems to shut down. For those fortunate enough to receive medical care and survive exposure, long-lasting side effects are probable, including seizures, extreme muscle spasms, and diminished mental... Read More »
Bechtel officials said the engineering, construction and project management company recently destroyed the final inventory of projectiles containing mustard agent.
The company's Kentucky team initiated the third of five chemical weapons destruction initiatives completed at the Blue Grass... Read More »
In the hunt for a solution to one of burning buildings’ most dangerous effects, chemists from the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) have created a test that could help firefighters identify whether civilians have been exposed to toxic... Read More »
Battelle recently showcased its Resource Effective Bioidentification System (REB+) and Multi-Threat Decontamination System (MTDS) as a means of demonstrating efforts to combat Chemical/Biological (CB) threats.
The demonstration stemmed from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) funding... Read More »
A budget push from U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) seeks to require the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) to report reconciliation legislation of $50.2 billion for military infrastructure improvements, among other items.
If accepted, their... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting firefighters, first responders, and communities from exposure advanced the Senate Thursday.
The Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine), co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services... Read More »
Teams from the Bechtel Corporation at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) near Richmond, Ky., have begun purging another batch of chemical weapons, continuing a campaign that intends to destroy nearly 18,000 rockets bearing the VX nerve agent.
The latest round begins... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program announced last week that it is seeking information in three topic areas to support component technology needs.
“DHS SBIR is uniquely positioned to support DHS’s broad mission by finding ways to... Read More »
In an effort to keep transportation safe without slowing the flow of traffic, the New York City subway system, together with a series of collaborators in the federal, academic, and private sectors, is rolling out a testbed and series of biosensors to scan for chemical and biological threats.... Read More »
Looking to address a medical need and reduce development and preparedness costs for taxpayers, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has purchased and begun accepting the Paratek Pharmaceuticals antibiotic NUZYRA for use on anthrax infections.
The contract could... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Sen. James Risch (R-ID) called on President Joe Biden to immediately impose legally mandated sanctions against the Putin regime in a letter Wednesday.
McCaul, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead and Risch, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign... Read More »
Proposed congressional legislation would overhaul the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), expand domestic manufacturing of medical supplies and improve America’s preparedness for public health emergencies.
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) on June 8 unveiled the... Read More »
In four months, a Bechtel-led team has managed to destroy approximately 60 tons of VX nerve agent contained in 155-millimeter artillery projectiles, pulling the United States closer to an international chemical weapons reduction goal.
“This is an important milestone for the team,” Ron Hink,... Read More »
Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) introduced this week a measure designed to help reduce synthetic drug access.
The Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act seeks to make permanent the current, temporary classification of fentanyl-related... Read More »
When Ebola was a low priority for the private sector, the Department of Defense (DOD) was one of the few organizations that funded early-stage research and development on vaccines and treatments. The division of the DoD that played a critical role in that research was the Chemical and Biological... Read More »
Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders have expressed support for enforcing the international norm against chemical weapons, particularly the Assad regime’s illegal use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently awarded contracts to FLIR Systems, Leidos, and Charles River Analytics to create lightweight materials and more adaptable countermeasures for equipment protective against chemical and biological threats.
The problem is, while... Read More »
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released the findings of its investigation on an incident that occurred in Saraqib, Syrian Arab Republic, on Feb. 4, 2018.
OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) is charged with identifying the perpetrators of the use... Read More »
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced Monday that it had won a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop new fabrics embedded with catalysts and chemical agents that can fight and reduce chemical and biological threats on contact.
The fabrics will be incorporated... Read More »
Department of Justice officials said a man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole for attempting to purchase a chemical weapon on the dark web.
Jason William Siesser, 46, of Columbia, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to acquire a chemical weapon and one... Read More »
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) officials said the agency has provided funding for studies evaluating the therapeutic potential of aCT1 eye drops in models of sulfur mustard corneal injury.
BARDA officials said the effort is via its Division of Research, Innovation... Read More »
