The Sarin Gas Attacks on the Tokyo Subway - 10 years later/Lessons Learned.

Abstract

This paper considers learned from the March 20, 1995 covert terrorist attack on the Tokyo, Japan subway system employing a neurotoxic agent. The following lessons from this disaster are reviewed in light of prevailing practice and policy in the U.S. in 2005: timely communication of vital information; operational logistics including triage, surge capacity and decontamination; secondary contamination of emergency responders and hospital personnel; assessment and treatment of the worried well secondary traumatization of rescue workers; and behavioral health preparedness measures and treatment for disaster victims. In some respects little progress has been made, for instance, in developing new, evidence-based therapies for disaster victims with posttraumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, some recently developed and implemented initiatives such as the Strategic National Stockpile, represent enhancements to U.S. preparedness compared to that which existed during the 1995 terrorist attacks on the Tokyo, Japan subway system.