57 Winter 2009 CBRNe WORLD www.cbrneworld.com MED in Bulgaria MED in Bulgaria CBRNeWORLD T he world today is facing an increasing CBRN threat. The rationale for this statement can be found everywhere. The modern man or woman can hardly even imagine his or her daily life without the products of the chemical industry. To be more precise, it would not be an exaggeration to say our entire our lives are saturated with chemistry – from clothes and food to means of transport and DVDs that even our children are used to. Contemporary medicine is highly dependent on pharmaceuticals, as well as nuclear and radiological investigation and biotechnological developments to define diseases and to treat patients. Computers and robots will replace the human mind and body, particularly in the performance of hazardous tasks, but one cannot even dream of computers or robots without requiring newly-created chemical substances and compounds. The aim of this article is not to prove the implementation of chemistry, radiology and biology in the modern world, however, but rather to highlight the multitude of chemical, nuclear, radiological and biological facilities in the majority of developed and developing countries. It could be argued that the presence of these hazards is not in itself a threat, and no one could deny this is true. In order to prove the increasing CBRN threat in the contemporary world, there is therefore a need for evidence about the probability that these hazards could cause negative impact on human health and wellbeing. Firstly, the probability of unintentional release of CBRN hazards into the atmosphere nowadays is greater than in the past simply because the sources of such hazards are so much greater than in the pre-industrial era. Secondly, the increased probability of a CBRN incident is related to technology; safety is highly dependent on computers. A failure of the computing systems in a CBRN-related facility could create a CBRN incident with unimaginable consequences. What is most appalling is that many computer systems have been demonstrated to be vulnerable to cyber attacks by terrorists. The example of a cyber attack against an entire Baltic country is the third, but by no means the least significant, piece of evidence of the CBRN threat. Many articles are published every day on the possibilities for, and eagerness of, terrorists to obtain and use CBRN compounds as weapons. One main task of every intelligence organisation is to detect and estimate the threat and to advise on countermeasures. As an intelligence organisation, medical intelligence (MEDINT) has the same main objective – to identify whether there is a CBRN-related hazard, to assess the derived health risk level and to propose preventive measures. The aim of this article is to present the ways in which MEDINT is contributing to CBRN defence planning and execution during military missions and to list the MEDINT products, providing relevant data to military CBRN experts. In order to achieve the set goal, descriptive and cluster analyses were performed for presenting the MEDINT capabilities in the CBRN area. It is very important, before we go into details of MEDINT’s contributions to CBRN Defence, to distinguish MEDINT from medical information. In the Republic of Bulgaria’s armed forces has accepted Nato’s terms and definition: “Medical intelligence is intelligence on medical, bio-scientific, epidemiological, environmental and other information related to human or animal health. This intelligence, being of a specific technical nature, requires informed medical expertise throughout its direction and processing within the intelligence cycle.” On the other hand: “Medical information is any information on medical or environmental threats, or medical facilities or capabilities which has been gathered through non-intelligence channels and which has not been analysed for intelligence content. Such information is an essential component of operational medical planning and should be shared freely among members of Alliance.” The following example, related to the CBRN threat, could clarify the difference. The following is taken from a newspaper article: “The level of SO2 and respiratory active particles in air in X area is ten times above the sanitary norms stated by the Ministry of Health” This example demonstrates medical information. In contrast, the next example is the product of analysed and processed medical information for the mission purposes – for example for MEDINT. “According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health, the level of SO2 and respiratory active particles in air in X area is ten times above the sanitary norms. These levels are mainly caused by the old technologies applied in the chemical plant Y, and the usage of non-standard fuel in the same facility. The wind directs the toxic fumes towards the Host Nation’s proposed location for their military base during the summer months. Because of the possibility of upper respiratory and eyes irritating effect on servicemen, it is recommendable that the location of the base to be reconsidered. In case of no option it is recommended the use of…” This is medical intelligence. The main goal of CBRN defence, from a medical point of view, is to preserve servicemen’s lives and fighting capabilities from the health impact of CBRN. This objective could be achieved by proper risk CBRNe Convergence 2010, 2-5 November, Rosen Plaza, Orlando,Florida. More information on www.icbrnevents.com Lt. Col. Rostislav Kostadinov, Chair Disaster Medicine and Professor Kamen Kanev, Head of the Chair Disaster Medicine and Toxicology at the Military Medical Academy, Bulgaria, describe how medical intelligence is contributing to CBRN Defence planning and execution during military missions