CTEH® Assists with “Project Jack Rabbit”

CTEH^® provided air monitoring and toxicology expertise to the Department of Homeland Security project lauched in 2008 called “Project Jack Rabbit.” The project scope was meant to address fundamental questions regarding the movement of chemicals during a transportation release. The experiment involved Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC), DHS Science and Technology Directorates (S&T), Observers from Office of Health Affairs, Office of Infrastructure Protection, Navy, Air Force, and other partners across the federal government.

Project Jack Rabbit

The goals of project Jack Rabbit include the following:

• Enhanced emergency response procedures. Validated response procedures will be shared in the next national Emergency Response Guidebook for first responders.
• Safer industrial procedures. The Chlorine Institute and the Ammonia Safety and Training Institute are working to update their safety guidelines and training videos.
• Better mitigation strategies. By studying how the gas behaves, TSA hopes to curb potential casualties from a toxic chemical release by positioning barriers or craters near rail yards to trap gas clouds before they leave the incident site.
• Improved defense readiness. Soldiers facing materials poisonous by inhalation, commonly referred to as Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH), will be able to better understand what they are facing and be more prepared to respond. In addition, the Department of Defense is exploring ways to protect electronics and vehicles capable of flight against chlorine.

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