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Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting Provide Solace, if Not Security
By KENNETH CHANG and JUDITH MILLER

Duct tape and plastic sheeting can be useful for chores around the house, but experts are uncertain how well they might protect against chemical, biological or "dirty bomb" attacks.
Most of the advice dispensed by the Bush administration on how to prepare for possible terrorist attacks was generic and common-sensical, they said, just as applicable to a hurricane, a snowstorm or any other unexpected emergency. Stock up several days' worth of water and canned foods. Put together a first-aid kit. Keep handy flashlights and a battery-powered radio.

Randall J. Larsen, director of the Anser Institute for Homeland Security, a nonprofit research group in Arlington, Va., said there was inherent value simply in urging people to make preparations. "I think psychologically preparing the public is something we've been deficient at," Mr. Larsen said.
But he was less impressed with the administration's recipe for protecting against a cloud of deadly germs or chemicals: sealing a room with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
"If it lowers your blood pressure, go ahead and do it, but do everything else first," Mr. Larsen said. "I don't think there's enough information out there for people to be locking themselves in airtight rooms."
He added that his mother had called him to ask if she should buy duct tape and plastic sheeting. He told her no.
Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana, a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, said such a "safe room" would be of no help against a biological attack, because terrorists would probably release the pathogens in secret. "You won't be tipped off that something's going to happen," Dr. Schoch-Spana said. "You wouldn't have time to get that in place."
Even in cases where an attack is known, like the detonation of a bomb that spews out radioactive particles, experts said such measures would be useless unless people could be quickly informed of an attack.
"If there is an emergency, timing will be everything," said Elisa D. Harris, a senior research scholar at the University of Maryland's Center for International and Security Studies who was a bioterrorism expert in the Clinton administration. "The government will need to do the analysis and detect the path of the hazardous substance and warn citizens of possible exposure. But is the government in a position to do those things real time? And what is the mechanism for communicating that to people?"
The federal government's response to the anthrax letter attacks in October 2001 raised questions about whether it was in a position to do that, she said.
A senior Bush administration official said yesterday that Al Qaeda had already demonstrated a capacity to use conventional weapons in an unconventional way, and he added that no responsible government could ignore the possibility that the group had perfected its nuclear, chemical and germ terrorism abilities, or had acquired such agents on the black market or from a rogue state.
The official also defended the measures the administration recommended for personal protection.
"Sure," he said, "there's a limit to the extent that individuals can protect themselves in such an emergency, but keeping blankets, radios, batteries and cars full of gas make sense for many different kinds of reasons.
"And while there is no one thing that anyone can do to reduce the threat — no silver bullet," he said, the administration was doing many things that "all add incrementally to the security of people."
"Is it better for individuals to have a sense of powerlessness? These measures empower individuals, and give people a sense that they should be vigilant and concerned, if not frightened."
The protective qualities of duct tape and plastic have been studied, though without reaching firm conclusions. In 2001, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory wrote a report for the Federal Emergency Management Agency titled, "Will Duct Tape and Plastic Really Work?"
"We think that from a purely engineering standpoint, they are effective," said a co-author of the study, Dr. John H. Sorensen. "Every little bit helps. What we don't know a lot about is how good people are at putting them up."
Although Israelis made such preparations because of the Scud missile attacks in the gulf war in 1991, Iraq never used any chemical or biological weapons.
The American Red Cross has recommended for more than a decade that households include duct tape and plastic sheeting in an emergency safety kit. Larry Rockwell, a spokesman for the organization, described them as "good all-around, multipurpose tools."
Though there is no direct evidence that a room sealed with duct tape and plastic would increase the chances of survival, experiments have indicated that chemical warfare agents take at least several hours to seep through such a seal. Some real-home trials found that sealing doors, windows and vents reduced air flow into the room by up to two-thirds. Even then, however, outside air completely cycled through the room within hours.
In the tests, some people were able to seal rooms in a few minutes; others took nearly 40 minutes.
Sealing also proved much more effective than putting wet towels under a door. While towels filter soot from fires, they do not stop chemical vapors.
For more complete protection, companies like the Regional Environmental Hazard Containment Corporation based in Washington sell inflatable plastic rooms costing $3,200 to $5,000.
"We're getting more inquiries," said Lester Lewis, who said he was one of the company's chief executives. "We've sold some."
If terrorists obtain the ultimate weapon, a nuclear bomb, there is nothing anyone could do against the initial blast and radiation, said Mr. Larsen of Anser.
"If they set off a nuclear weapon, your only hope is to be far enough away from it," he said. "I think it's such a low probability. It's something I spend almost no time worrying about. A smallpox attack is much more likely."

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