Terrorism and Public Health

The first edition of this book was published almost a decade ago to provide a comprehensive examination of the relationship between terrorism and public health. It also described what health professionals could do to mitigate the consequences of terrorist attacks and threats, and to address the underlying causes of terrorism. This completely revised second edition provides new information on emergency preparedness and response planning as well as lessons learned from responses to terrorist attacks in the United States and other countries. Expert scholars and practitioners of public health explore the historical roots of terrorism and address potential terrorist weapons and their control. They also explore in detail the adverse health consequences of the "war on terror," including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other violations of human rights and civil liberties, diversion of resources, and the adverse impact on civil society organizations. Arguing for a more balanced approach to preparedness, the editors and contributors to this second edition describe challenges and opportunities for strengthening the public health system, protecting disaster rescue and recovery workers, and promoting domestic and international law related to terrorism. * Offers a useful and up-to-date compendium for courses for public health students and health workers * Presents a more balanced approach to public health preparedness, placing more emphasis on urgent public health problems * Provides a valuable resource for public health workers and their agencies and organizations Barry S. Levy , Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Edited by Victor W. Sidel , Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine CONTENTS Part I: Introduction 1. Challenges That Terrorism Poses to Public Health Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel Box 1-1: Guiding Principles for a Public Health Response to Terrorism Box 1-2: Has the Nation's Response to Terrorism Strengthened the Public Health System? Susan Allan 2. The Roots of Terrorism Cheryl E. Easley and Carol Easley Allen Box 2-1: Addressing Public Opinion in Muslim Communities Zohra Rasekh and Gregory Pappas Part II: Public Health Responses to Terrorist Attacks 3. The Public Health Response to the World Trade Center Attack and Its Aftermath by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Isaac B. Weisfuse, Trish Marsik, and Robert M. Brackbill 4. Investigating the Health Consequences of the World Trade Center Attack Helen H. Lee, Emily C. Milam, Luz Claudio, Philip J. Landrigan, and Michael A. Crane 5. The Anthrax Attack of 2001 Philip S. Brachman 6. A Global Perspective on Terrorism and Public Health John Middleton, Patrick Saunders, and Shamil Harron 7. The Mental Health Consequences of Terrorism Zebulon Taintor Box 7-1: The Experiences of Two Mental Health Professionals Charles B. Strozier and Katie Gentile Box 7-2: Terrorism, Media, and Hate Crimes Nimmi Kapoor Part III: Potential Terrorist Weapons and Their Control 8. Small Arms and Light Weapons Wendy Cukier, Nelson Palacio, and Reefa Mahboob 9. Nuclear and Radiologic Weapons Patrice M. Sutton and Robert M. Gould Box 9-1: International Control of Nuclear Weapons Robert M. Gould and Merav Datan 10. Chemical Weapons Ernest C. Lee, Philipp C. Bleek, and Stefanos N. Kales 11. Biological Weapons Victor W. Sidel and Barry S. Levy Box 11-1: Research on Biological Weapons Box 11-2: A Community Salmonellosis Outbreak Caused by Intentional Contamination of Restaurant Salad Bars Part IV: Preparedness for Terrorist Attacks and Other Public Health Emergencies 12. Public Health Preparedness in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Jonathan E. Fielding and Alonzo L. Plough 13. Predicting and Planning for Public Health Emergencies Nathaniel Hupert Part V: Adverse Effects of the "War on Terror" 14. Protecting Civil Liberties and Human Rights H. Jack Geiger and George J. Annas 15. Public Health Consequences of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel Box 15-1: A Soldier's View Garrett Reppenhagen Box 15-2: A Perspective from Military Families Elizabeth Frederick 16. Consequences of Torture Leonard S. Rubenstein 17. The Impact of Anti-terrorism Law and Policy on Civil Society Organizations in the United States Mark Sidel Part VI: Challenges and Opportunities 18. Strengthening the Public Health System C. William Keck and Marguerite A. Erme 19. Protecting Emergency Response and Recovery Workers Dori B. Reissman, Renee Funk, John Halpin, John Piacentino, Margaret M. Kitt, and John Howard Box 19-1: Integrating Psychological and Behavioral Components into Organizational Preparedness 20. Promoting Domestic and International Law Peter Weiss Appendix: A List of Some Organizations That Promote Peace and Address Issues Related to Emergency Preparedness and Response