Using NYC’s Subways to Test the Spread of Chemical & Biological Weapons

Intriguing news for those interested in epidemiology. Business Insider reports:

The New York Police Department, in concert with the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Lab, will release colorless, odorless, benign gas throughout the New York City subway system this July to test how a chemical or biological weapons attack would spread, according to a release.

About 200 sampling devices will be deployed to examine how low concentrations of harmless gases known as perfluorocarbons get dispersed in the country’s busiest public transport system.

Of course, some are concerned whether the gas the City will be releasing is truly “benign.” Others are interested in what this project will teach us about the movement & fluidity of a chemical or biological agent. It makes sense to test the spread of disease in the NYC transit system of all places, given how many people use it and the concern that NYC may be targeted in another attack.

Are you worried? Curious? Let us know.