Surviving chemical, biological and nuclear attacks

February 13, 2003 5:13 PM

"Your defense is as always to not panic." I have no way to evaluate this guy's credentials or the validity of his advice--the host site seems a bit wonky, to put it mildly--but he provides a pithy, duct-tape-free, and oddly comforting counterpoint to some of the official recommendations on surviving chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.
posted by Kat Allison (27 comments total)

I suspect that the people stockpiling water and ducktaping their windows are the same people that answer spam and buy crap from unsolicited phone calls.

Witold
posted by Witold at 5:58 PM on February 13, 2003

Of course, first thing that pops into my head is Hitchhiker's Guide......


DON'T PANIC.

'Course then I actually went and read the article, and all my interstellar space travel musings went out the window. Very level-headed approach to a subject usually discussed peppered with fear and media hype. Good link.
posted by krazykity16 at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2003

Great link. Thanks!
I linked the article on one of my other forums. Some of my internet friends were getting honestly terrified. This article will do so much to put their minds at ease.
posted by konolia at 6:18 PM on February 13, 2003

Actually, I can't think of a reason not to have some stockpiled water for ANY emergency.
posted by yangwar at 6:20 PM on February 13, 2003

Most encouraging. Alas, a dirty bomb--not nuclear bomb--is more likely to be used or dropped in some crowded area and not much to be done about that--wash with soap and water?

TV guy said do what you might do to prepare for a natural diaster: have radio that is battery operated; have non-electrical source for lights; have some non-perishable food and water on hand. And then pray, meditate, brood, or watch Jerry Springer (this last, my advice).
posted by Postroad at 6:21 PM on February 13, 2003

Also see earlier Metafilter discussion here.
posted by dchase at 6:38 PM on February 13, 2003

Ah feck, forgot the closing quote on the title in the href. This link works
posted by dchase at 6:41 PM on February 13, 2003

Gee why doesn't our goverment give us this kind of information? Oh wait, they WANT people to be afraid.
posted by whirlwind29 at 6:42 PM on February 13, 2003

Nice link, and good advice. Thanks.
posted by hama7 at 6:54 PM on February 13, 2003

Eep. Thanks, dchase; I did a search on the current URL, which of course didn't turn up the previous discussion. That'll teach me to search more thoroughly.
posted by Kat Allison at 6:57 PM on February 13, 2003

A weeks worth of cash?! Shit. I've got about 20 minutes of cash. $2.47 to my name until next Thursday. Does that count?
posted by damnitkage at 7:10 PM on February 13, 2003

TV guy said

This is everyone's problem.
posted by Satapher at 7:19 PM on February 13, 2003

I use Evian to bathe myself.
posted by The God Complex at 7:24 PM on February 13, 2003

You haven't been reading Drudge lately, have you? ;-)
posted by konolia at 8:23 PM on February 13, 2003

I suspect that the people stockpiling water and ducktaping their windows are the same people that answer spam and buy crap from unsolicited phone calls.

Happily, they will also be removing themselves from the gene pool. Sealing their living space sufficiently to completely protect them from biological and chemical weapons will also suffocate them in hours.
posted by moonbiter at 9:09 PM on February 13, 2003

For what it's worth, everything he says about aerosolized agents either accords with my own personal experience, the viewpoints of my better-informed friends, or checks out when researched.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:28 PM on February 13, 2003

A friend of mine once told me that CNN is the best weapon that the terrorists have. And I hate watching it in times like these. I don't know about the rest of the country, but I for one would watch the news all the time if I was hearing information like this that would make me *calmer* rather than trying to instill freaking panic. Gah.
posted by Lori at 10:55 PM on February 13, 2003

Duck and cover, everyone.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:50 AM on February 14, 2003

Good Morning America showed how to duct tape a safe room, and mentioned that after 3 hours, the chemical threat should have passed, and you can come out of the room. (air-wise)
posted by dreamling at 7:11 AM on February 14, 2003

Sudden headache, runny nose, excessive saliva or drooling, difficulty breathing, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach cramps"...

Ahh yes, I remember my first slow dance as well.
posted by sharksandwich at 8:03 AM on February 14, 2003

what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the residue off the ground for a while

I really like this guy's writing style.
posted by sharksandwich at 8:07 AM on February 14, 2003

The most likely place for a chemical or biological attack would be in an enclosed public place like a subway or a mall.

Am I supposed to wrap myself in duct tape and plastic sheeting before going out?
posted by QuestionableSwami at 8:10 AM on February 14, 2003

Thanks for the link. Sounds like sage advice. I recently read Underground by Haruki Murakami, an account of the 1995 subway sarin gas attack in Japan. The book is fascinating because of the first person accounts given by the survivors, but it also astounded me that so many people did not have any clue about what was going on--many had no idea they had even been exposed to a toxic agent! Most of the badly injured could have prevented the worst of it if they had only taken the time to exit the traincar that had a strange smell or had washed their hands and face with soap and water.
posted by mariko at 9:01 AM on February 14, 2003

Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.

'Ol mustard gas and I have a lot in common.
posted by saladin at 9:23 AM on February 14, 2003

Also, here's the Snopes commentary on the piece.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:35 AM on February 14, 2003

[Hoses saladin down.]

Great link, Kat Allison. According to Snopes it is true.

Sometimes I think the term War on Terror should be be interpreted more literally than it is - terror and panic and ignorance can do us far more harm than the actual acts of violence.
posted by orange swan at 10:40 AM on February 14, 2003

many had no idea they had even been exposed to a toxic agent!

slightly OT, but that covers pretty much all of us every day, at least here in the Northeast, and the "terrorists" releasing the agents are corporations. god help me, i grew up in Jersey.
posted by serafinapekkala at 11:24 AM on February 14, 2003