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Stanford, US (pte049/30.06.2005/14:45) - A recently published scientific paper that analyses a hypothetical poison attack in the US sparks heated discussion on the handling of 'dual use' scientific research.
The paper, written by Lawrence Wein and graduate student Yifan Liu from Stanford University, California http://www.stanford.edu , hypothesises about the effects of the toxin botulinum and what would happen if it were poured into a tanker of milk. According to the scientists, the toxin, which is sometimes used in very low doses in plastic surgery to smooth the skin, would deliver potentially lethal doses to about 568,000 people if diluted.
The scientists considered the aspects of a possible terrorist attack.
Since September 11, 2001, US government officials have been extremely strict about information related to or regarding terrorism, hence the US health department's displeasure when the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) http://www.pnas.org published the milk article.
Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences wrote in an editorial: "It is important to recognize that publishing terrorism-related analysis in the open scientific literature can make the nation safer."
However Stewart Simonson, assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness at the health department, was displeased. A spokesman for Simonson said: "The assistant secretary respects the decision, but he doesn't agree with it."
The scientists say that most of the article's information is available on the Internet, for which they themselves cannot be held responsible for. Wein points out that publications on such vulnerabilities could help the government to strengthen the nation against attacks. They can also help the public put pressure on policy-makers when they procrastinate. "There has been no perceptible move in the food industry or in the government to shift from a food safety to a food security mentality," says Wein.
A biophysicist from Stanford University, Steven Block, said: "In a free society, the notion that we become more secure through transparency is important. The government needs to be reminded of that from time to time."
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