Will the humble aerosol be banned?
 

It has been reported that the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) in Atlanta are concerned that the hijackers may have been carrying epidemic-causing diseases such as smallpox and anthrax amongst others.

Apparently smallpox is top of the list. There are claims the the former Soviet Union had developed techniques to keep the germ alive in an aerosol form that would resist destruction by fire or explosion.

Consequently the CDC has contracted 2 biotech companies to make and stockpile 40 million doses of the vaccine compared with the 7 million available now. They expect the first batch to be ready not before 2004.

My undersatnding is that aerosals have been banned but I do not typically use them and so cannot confirm it.

Haven't heard this, but no germ could possibly have survived the conflagration that incinerated 5,000 people.

It's wise to be prepared but the reason biological and chemical agents aren't used more is not because of morals. It's because they are extremely hard to deliver effectively. Thank God.

[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 09-20-2001).]

Temps reached 3000°, I think I heard. Every bit of organic matter is ash or less at that heat.

What scares me, I keep flashing on "12 Monkees", so innocent seeming, so evil.

Speaking of aerosol...have any of you asthmatics had problems carrying on your inhalers this week?
If this is one of the unacceptable items now, perhaps a reasonable compromise would be to hand 'em over to a FA until needed? (Sheesh!)

I was surprised that I didn't get a single question about prescription medication that I carried on yesterday. No one even loked at it.

I assume there are many nasty things you could create in pill form and just-add-water. Even if you couldn't effectively distribute them to the general population, I assume you could create something of use in seizing control of the plane.

Today when I flew, besides being asked about the obvious banned items, I was also asked if I had any aerosol cans, as they are banned (at least on American).