NYC to release 'tracer gases' in subway system

NYPD teams with US lab to study airborne weapons

My Fox New York
April 24, 2013

NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) -

The New York Police Department is teaming up with a national laboratory to study how chemical weapons could be dispersed through the air into the subway system.

Researchers will track the movement of harmless tracer gases. They'll place air sampling devices in specific areas on the street and within the subway system. The gases mimic how a chemical or biological weapon may react if released.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the study will help safeguard the city against attacks.

"The NYPD works for the best but plans for the worst when it comes to potentially catastrophic attacks such as ones employing radiological contaminants or weaponized anthrax," said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, adding that, "This field study with Brookhaven's outstanding expertise will help prepare and safeguard the city's population in the event of an actual attack."

The project with the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory was announced Wednesday. It will be funded through a $3.4 million federal grant.

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