Chemical Facility Security
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The events of 9/11 have caused the nation to focus on the urgent need to both guard against and prepare for acts of terrorism including the release of harmful chemicals and the unlawful acquisition of chemicals, pesticides, or other materials that could be used to attack the United States.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urges all facilities that may handle or store such chemicals to assess their potential vulnerability to all types of environmental releases of potentially harmful chemicals. EPA has produced a checklist [PDF 68 KB, 3 pp] of general vulnerabilities to consider in conducting such assessments. Note that this list is overly inclusive; every item may not apply directly to every facility.
EPA's Chemical
Emergency Prevention and Preparedness Office Web site includes links
to more tools for evaluating and improving chemical facility safeguards
and to EPA information regarding homeland security. A key document identified
on that Web site is Site Security Guidelines
for the U.S. Chemical Industry
,
which the American Chemistry Council prepared and has distributed widely
within the industry.