In Case of Emergency

  Guidance for Biological Terrorism Threats

Updated Information About How to Recognize and Handle a Suspicious Package or Envelope

Guidance from the US Postal Service

CDC Interim* Recommendations for Protecting Workers from Exposure to Bacillus anthracis in Work Sites Where Mail Is Handled or Processed

Information from the General Services Administration (GSA) on how to respond to an anthrax threat in a mail center.

Official CDC Health Advisory: CDC Interim Recommendations for Protecting Mail Handlers from Cutaneous and Inhalational Anthrax Associated with Intentional Distribution of Bacillus anthracis through the Mail

"How to handle anthrax and other biological terrorism threats"
Guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Reporting Procedures

  Chemical & Biological Hotline
  1-800-424-8802
  Emergency Only

The Chemical and Biological (CB) Hotline serves as an emergency resource for first responders to request technical assistance during a CB incident. The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici legislation specifically calls for "establishment of a designated telephonic link to a designated source of relevant data and expert advice for the use of state or local officials responding to emergencies involving a weapon of mass destruction or related materials." The Hotline's intended users include trained emergency personnel: emergency operators and "first responders" (fire fighters, police and emergency medical technicians who arrive at the scene of a CB terrorist incident). Other users may include the state emergency operations centers and hospitals that may treat victims of CB agent exposure.

Trained operators staff the CB Hotline seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Operators use extensive databases and reference material in addition to immediate access to the nation's top subject-matter experts in the field of CB agents. Areas of specialty include:

1. Detection equipment
2. Personal protective equipment
3. Decontamination systems and methods
4. Physical properties of CB agents
5. Toxicology information
6. Medical symptoms from exposure to CB agents
7. Treatment of exposure to CB agents
8. Hazard prediction models
9. Federal response assets
10. Applicable laws and regulations

The CB Hotline is a joint effort of the Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The National Response Center (NRC) is the entry point for the CB Hotline. The NRC receives basic incident information and links the caller to the DOD and FBI's chemical, biological and terrorism experts. These and other federal agencies can be accessed within a few minutes to provide technical assistance during a potential CB incident. If the situation warrants, a federal response action may be initiated.

Use the local established policies and procedures for requesting federal assistance before contacting the CB Hotline. State and local officials can access the CB Hotline in emergency circumstances by calling