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CNN Sunday Morning

Is America Overreacting to Possible Bioterrorism?

Aired October 07, 2001 - 07:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Without question, there's heightened concern across the U.S. that the next terrorist attack could encompass bioterrorism. For more on that, we go to an expert, Amy Smithson, joins us now to discuss if America is overreacting to the potential threat of bioterrorism. I can say that difficult word.

Thanks a lot for coming in this morning.

AMY SMITHSON, STIMSON CENTER: It's a pleasure to be with you this morning.

MESERVE: First of all, are we ready for a chemical, biological or nuclear attack?

SMITHSON: Well, that's a big question and those are difficult things to get ready for because the consequences can be so catastrophic. However, the bedrock of readiness for this type of response exists in all the towns and cities in our country. We have HAZMAT teams, over 650 of them, around the country and there are also hospitals and physicians.

What we need to do is focus on getting federal resources to the local levels so that they can get better trained and equipped.

MESERVE: Do those first responders get those resources now?

SMITHSON: Absolutely not. What happened in this year alone is that the U.S. government spent $8.7 billion on terrorism readiness but only 311 million got to the local level in training equipment and planning.

Well, I guess -- well, I think there's a misimpression inside the beltway that the federal government should be on the frontlines and saving lives. Lives will be saved there not by federal rescue teams or bureaucrats. So you've got to get that equation reversed.

MESERVE: There has been so much discussion about these risks? Has it been overdone in your opinion?

SMITHSON: Well, I think we always need to be prepared to bad things and a case-in-point would be the fact that there are over 60,500 accidents and incidents in this country every year with hazardous and extremely hazardous chemicals. And as for Mother Nature, well, in the circles I run, she's known as the most effective bioterrorist. Every one and a while, there are diseases that crop up that do take a terrible toll on the human race. So we need to be prepared for these types of disasters regardless of whether terrorists ever figure this out.

MESERVE: Well, let's talk about some of the specific things that have been talked about in recent weeks, crop dusters, for instance. A real threat?

SMITHSON: Well, crop dusters are built to spray chemicals and they're part of America's agricultural prowls. However, if somebody sees a crop duster overhead, just go inside. That's common sense. Shut the windows, shut the doors.

As for their ability to spread biological warfare agents, I think that's been way overplayed. A crop duster sprays the material in a 100-micron or larger particle size. And in order to make a human sick, a biological warfare agent has to get inside the lung alive in a one to 10 micron particle size and that's a huge difference in biowarfare circles.

MESERVE: But we see people running to their doctors, asking for prescriptions for antibiotics that might counter a biological threat. Warranted, the right response?

SMITHSON: Bad, bad idea. I can understand why people are so confused though. They've heard a zillion things in the past three weeks, a lot of which contradict each other. But stockpiling antibiotics is simply not warranted and in fact, it can backfire on the very people who do this. If they get a case of the sniffles this fall and start self-medicating themselves or their children, they may very well do more harm than good. Not only are there side effects, when they really need to turn to these medicines, when they're truly ill, they may not work as well.

MESERVE: Who do you blame for this overreaction?

SMITHSON: Well, I'm afraid the media has done a lot to hype the fear but so have the people who have been in front of the camera, who may not be real technical experts. And as for the government, I'm looking for them to come out and explain these issues in more detail, very candidly to the public because there are some risks out there. But I think they need to understand how to balance those risks.

MESERVE: Tom Ridge starts his job on Monday as the director of the Office of Homeland Security. Words of advice for him, thoughts on what his top priorities should be as he walks into that office?

SMITHSON: I hope that Tom Ridge has, by his side, someone who has extensive experience in disaster response. Not just someone who is involved in all the federal bureaucracy here but who will keep emphasizing to him day in and day out that lives are saved at the local level, illustrated time and time again in New York City as well as at the Pentagon.

This is not about more federal government. It's about institutionalizing the training in the police academies, in the fire academies, in our medical and nursing schools. And it's also about figuring out how to sustain the readiness that we've already gotten in spots across the country over the long term. It's about investing in enhanced public health capabilities, in instituting an early warning system across this country that would enable local emergency managers and public health officials to detect a disease outbreak in time to take life-saving intervention.

MESERVE: And we have to leave it there. Amy Smithson, thanks so much for coming in.

SMITHSON: A pleasure to be with you.

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