CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 2, 2008

Ground beef is pulled from shelves at Ralphs
“Just three days away from the Fourth of July weekend, some Ralphs supermarkets in Hollywood, Silver Lake and Orange County on Tuesday pulled ground beef off their shelves in response to a Nebraska beef recall connected to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses, according to store managers.” (Los Angeles Times; 2July08; Louis Sahagun) http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ralphs2-2008jul02,0,6955955.story

Gallium nitride photodetector targets bioterrorism
“New sensors based on gallium nitride could improve the detection of bioterror agents like anthrax. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Savannah said gallium nitride avalanche photodectors could provide real-time detection of bioterrorism agents like anthrax by inducing fluorescence in the biological molecules floating in the air at ultraviolet wavelengths.” (EE Times; 01July08; R. Colin Johnson)
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208801973

San Antonio researchers discover new insight in fighting bioterrorism agent
“Scientists at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio say they've discovered a cell type that one day may be useful in fighting bioterrorism. In a journal article that's set to publish this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have found that mast cells play a role in combating tularemia.” (San Antonio Business Journal; 01July08) http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/06/30/daily14.html

Scientists Unravel Early Infectious Process Of Respiratory Pathogen And Bioterrorism Agent
“Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) have identified a cell type believed to play a role in controlling the early infectious process against Francisella tularensis, a respiratory pathogen and bioterrorism agent that is the cause of tularemia.”
(Science Daily; 01July08)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701092207.htm

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Awarded DTRA Contract Worth up to $44.4 Million to Develop Bavituximab for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
“Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, today announced it has entered into a five-year contract worth up to $44.4 million to test and develop bavituximab and an equivalent fully human antibody as potential broad-spectrum treatments for viral hemorrhagic fever infections.” (Fox Business; 01July08) http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/health-care/peregrine-pharmaceuticals-awarded-dtra-contract-worth--million-develop/

CBP Agriculture Specialists Intercept Record Pests on Fruit Shipments
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agriculture Specialists reported a one-day record of 21 pest interceptions on bananas, pineapples and other fruits originating in Central America and delivered aboard ships to Philadelphia, Pa., Wilmington, De., and Camden, N.J., marine terminals on June 18, 2008. The inspections by CBP Agriculture Specialists resulted in the fumigation or re-export of 150,000 cases of fruit from various Central American countries.” (Delaware Online; 01July08)
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/COMMUNITIES1001/80701054

Fighting the war at home
“Ross Haghighat, founder and CEO of Triton Systems Inc., is a man who defies stereotypes. Haghighat leads a defense company that does not make weapons, and despite his Iranian upbringing, he is excited to see his products in the hands of American soldiers as they fight a controversial war in the Middle East. […]Created in 1992, Triton uses government funding to develop new applications for advanced materials, solving problems for defense and homeland security agencies. They are developing lighter biological warfare suits, sturdier platforms for parachuting cargo and faster-working field repair kits for Humvee armor.” (Wicked Local; 02July08; David Golann) http://www.wickedlocal.com/chelmsford/news/x390622622/Fighting-the-war-at-home

Haz-Mat Scare At Federal Prison In Southern Ky.
“A powdery substance was found in an envelope at the federal prison in McCreary County Tuesday afternoon. Officials say a routine check of the mail revealed a powdery substance in a letter addressed to a former inmate at the facility. […] Officials field tested the substance, and initial results indicated that the substance was ricin. However a sample sent off the the State Public Health Laboratory in Frankfort for identification, revealed it was not the deadly poison.” (WBKO; 01July08) http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/22797544.html

Chemical weapons transport plan draws fire
“The Pentagon is considering a plan to ship deadly chemical weapons to military sites in four states to accelerate the destruction of the munitions, a new report to Congress says. The idea of transporting such lethal agents along routes such as from Colorado to Oregon is prompting opposition from Congress and watchdog groups. They say the plan exposes the American public to unnecessary risks as the U.S. government is concerned about terrorist attacks.” (USA Today; 02July08; Tom Vanden Brook) http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-07-01-chemweapons_N.htm

FBI: Puffer fish poison possession leads to man's arrest
“An Illinois man was charged with possession of a potentially deadly neurotoxin commonly found in puffer fish after the FBI led a raid at his home Monday. Edward F. Bachner, 35, of Lake in the Hills, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a toxin, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. district court. Bachner is listed as the corporate secretary of Rosetta Wireless Corp. in Naperville, in suburban Chicago.”
(CNN; 30June08)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/30/toxin.arrest/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.