Awareness-level information for veterinarians on weapons of mass destruction and preservation of evidence

Abstract

JAVMA, Vol 230, No. 12, June 15, 2007 W of mass destruction may be defined as chemical, biological, radiologic, nuclear, explosive, or incendiary devices intended to cause widespread injury or death. Injuries and illnesses resulting from weapons of mass destruction may be overt, subclinical, or delayed. Because veterinarians may find themselves responding to emergency incidents, they should be aware of the agents that may cause mass casualties. Importantly, if such agents have been used intentionally, then the incident is a crime scene, and responders should be aware of the need to secure the scene and preserve evidence. If the incident was intended to intimidate or coerce for social or political reasons, then it is classified as an act of terrorism, and federal regulations and authorities have jurisdiction. Specifically, animal enterprise terrorism has been defined as a crime that causes physical disruption to the functioning of an animal enterprise or economic damages exceeding $10,000 to that enterprise. There is little published information on the effects of most weapons of mass destruction in animals, although some information has been published on possible dangers for search-and-rescue dogs working in postdisaster environments. Nevertheless, veterinarians may obtain some useful comparative information from published reports of the effects of weapons of mass destruction on humans and their treatment. Because of the potential for veterinarians to be involved in the response to an incident involving weapons of mass destruction, they should have at least some awarenesslevel information of the various agents that might be used. Similarly, although law enforcement personnel are responsible for securing crime scenes, gathering and preserving evidence, and maintaining a documented chain of custody for such evidence, veterinarians should have at least some rudimentary knowledge of the principles and practices of evidence preservation because they may be involved in rendering aid at the site of a disaster or treating victims at the site or elsewhere.