Feds prep for terror hit on NYC subway air
NEW YORK -- A massive study was to start Monday of the airflow through tunnels in the New York subway system.
The idea? To get a better handle on it in case the tunnels are ever targeted in a terror attack, reports CBS New York.
"This is important information to help local authorities enhance their emergency preparedness for an event that might occur in the subway if there's a release of biological material or a chemical material," said Dr. Donald Bansleb, of the federal Department of Homeland Security.
In preparing for a potential biological or chemical attack, the Department of Homeland Security and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be placing about 200 small chemical tracer devices at dozens of subway stations across the city.
As part of a five-day airflow test there will be scheduled releases of a safe, harmless gas from Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, and the Times Square subway station.
"This will tell us in real time data aerosol concentrations and the particle concentrations in the stations after we do the release," said laboratory engineer David Brown.
"That will help authorities to predict boundaries of contamination if there is a release of a substance," Bansleb said.
Subway riders said they're glad to see the city being proactive.
"I think that all kinds of testing to just cover all bases to see that we're safe. That seems reasonable," Manhattan resident Elizabeth Graham said.
"It gives us an opportunity to open our eyes to see the times we are living in. It's something good," subway rider Jose Gomez said.