Environmental Systems Infrastructure Security

John H. Easton, Ph.D.Southern Methodist University

Vulnerable Environmental Systems

• Water supply system• Wastewater

collection/treatment system

• HVAC systems in buildings (indoor air)

Dual Use

• Military v. civilian• Terrorism v. natural

disasters

F&T of Contaminants in Water Distribution Systems

• Biological (e.g., bacteria, viruses, etc.)• Chemical (nerve agents, toxins, etc.) • Little known about their physical properties

(F&T characteristics)– persistence in water distribution system. – Lab or field experiments designed to evaluate

the F&T characteristics of select agents.

Lab/Field Experiments

Agent Surrogate

Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax ) B. subtilus, B. cereus, B. globigii

Variola major (Smallpox) Vaccinia virus

Yersinia pestis (Plague) Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

F&T of Agents Released in or near Buildings

• Chem/bio agents released in gaseous or aerosol form in or near facilities.

• F&T based on building envelope and HVAC. • Currently, evaluation of movement of air and airborne

contaminants in or near buildings exists, but uniform methodology and integration of the results into overall facility planning are lacking. – Develop a uniform protocol for evaluating the integrity of critical

infrastructure against bio- and chem-agent releases– Perform site-specific analysis of the F&T of contaminants in

specific buildings– Train facility managers on how to incorporate bio- and chem-agent

protection into contracting and construction activities

Modeling and Simulation for “What If” Analyses

• Use F&T properties build or modify existing computer models to perform release simulations. – Distribution systems + assoc assets (drinking &

ww)– “what if” simulations of attacks and disruptions

of service.

Risk Assessment/Prioritization • Use simulation results to prioritize the use of

limited resources to critical areas. • Apply risk assessment to drinking water (or ww)

systems– quantify effects of various threats– tool for allocating resources, hi to lo priority

• Apply to any critical infrastructure – determine risk from airborne chem/bio agent releases– make decisions on the most effective use of resources

to minimize risk.

Research QuestionOffshore Release of Bioterrorism Agent to

Coastal Waters• “What if?”• Release from vessel a

few miles out.• Impacts:

– Swimmers– Fish/shellfish

consumers– Tourism

Bioterrorism Agents of Concern

Disease Agent Infectious/Toxic Dose

Anthrax Bacillus anthracis 5-10,000 spores (inhaled)

Botulism Clostridium Botulinum 1 ng/kg

Plague Yersinia pestis 50-1,500

Smallpox variola major 10-100 virons

Tularemia Francisella tularensis 10-50

Human Health

• Assumptions:– Swimmer ingests 50 ml of

water per outing.– 90% decay or loss of

infectivity.– Must contaminate water

volume (1 sqmi by 50’ deep).

– 100% pure stock.

• Dump 1-200 gallons (depending upon ID used)

SimulationCOASTMAP

National Economy• 53% of Americans live in coastal counties.• 100 million Americans make 2 billion annual visits to

beaches.• >75% of all U.S. domestic economic activity takes place in

the coastal states.• Beaches are our #1 tourist destination.• 110 million U.S. households traveled over 50 miles to go

to a beach (2003).• 90% of foreign visitors to U.S. make a visit to our coast; in

a recent year, 45.5 million international visitors spent $60 billion in the U.S.

Local Economies• June-August 2000, estimated almost $600 million in

spending on beach activities in Los Angeles and Orange counties, CA. This spending generated $203-$221 million in local income and 19-20,000 full and part-time jobs.

• Economic impacts of coastal recreation impacts in Monroe County (Florida Keys Sanctuary) include sales of $1.33 billion, income of $506 million, and 21,850 jobs.

• 2000-2001, reefs off the four-county area of SE Florida (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties) supported almost 28 million person-days of recreational diving, fishing and viewing activities, which generated about $4.4 billion in local sales, almost $2 billion in local income and 71,300 full and part-time jobs.

SMU Expertise• Al Armendariz

– Air pollution control engineering – Design of diesel exhaust emissions controls – Public health impact of air pollution

• John Easton– Fate and transport of environmental contaminants,

including pathogenic microorganisms– Human and environmental health effects of

endocrine disruptors– Stormwater pollution prevention and control– Environmental microbiology

Collaborators/Partnerships

• U.S. EPA and TCEQ• City of Dallas• NCTCOG• Industry: ExxonMobil, TI, EDS, GM, TXI,

etc.