Chemical Threats: Further Information

Newrisk Limited is available to advise organisations and governments on chemical threats including chemical incident prevention and response.

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have designed and overseen the construction and training programmes for a pioneering chemical rapid response unit designed to operate in urban areas and in remote areas accessible only by plane. This unit was established following a review of fire brigades throughout Queensland which led to the formation of a modernised fire service, supported by the chemical response unit.

Technical assessments and risk advice has also been provided to rail authorities for hazardous goods management, investigations of road and rail chemical incidents as well as site risk assessments and field exercises on chemicals storage sites and hazardous chemicals on critical infrastructure (such as power stations and water treatment sites).

Chemicals in confined space environments (such as tunnels and buildings) have formed part of the work to protect the public from accidents and terror attacks. Exercises for rail and rail/airport interfaces have also been undertaken for governments and have involved various forms of chemical agents that may be used by terrorists in an attack on urban infrastructure.

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided media commentary, lectures, conference papers, workshops and publications on this topic, examples of which are set out below. To return to an overview of Newrisk Limited's chemical threat expertise, please click here.

To request Newrisk Limited's assistance in connection with a chemical threat, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.

Media Commentary

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has provided media commentary on chemical threats, including:

• Ongoing issues in the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury and two alleged Russian agents CCTV images, for RTE Morning Radio (Ireland) on 6 September 2018;
• Two alleged Russian agents CCTV films and Russia’s rejection of accusations of Novichok chemical nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury for Channel 4 News (UK) on 5 September 2018: "Sir Andrew Wood, former UK ambassador to Russia, and Dr Sally Leivesley, a security analyst with expertise in dealing with biological and chemical threats, discuss the Salisbury poisonings."
• Novichok chemical nerve agent poisoning - two new victims in Salisbury for Channel 4 News (UK) on 5 July 2018;
• Cold War and Britain’s response to Sergei Skripal Russian Spy poisoning with Novichok nerve agent, for Nine News Today (Australia) on 17 March 2018;
• Sergei Srkipal Russian Spy poisoning attack in Britain for Nine News TODAY (Australia) on 6 March 2018;
• Chemical plume on East Sussex beach and effects on people for ITV Good Morning Britain on 28 August 2017;
• Grenfell – How the fire service response to the Grenfell Tower fire compares with services across the UK, for BBC Newsnight on 14 July 2017;
• US Threatens Punishment Aerial Bombardment on Syria Following Chemical Weapons Attack for Channel 5 News on 26 August 2013 - available online;
• G8 Leader Options to Reduce World Terrorism, Conflict Resolution with Syria & Agreement not to pay Kidnap & Ransom Demands for BBC World NewsDay on 18 June 2013;
• White House announces Syrian Military's Chemical Weapons Use & US Military Support for Rebels for ITV Daybreak on 14 June 2013;
• US Cinema Mass Casualty Shooting for Sky News on 20 July 2012;
• Olympics threats following suspected six person terror cell arrests & a false chemical incident alarm for ITN Daybreak on 6 July; and
• Underpants bomb plot in Yemen foiled for Sky News and Channel 5 News on 8 May 2012.

Lectures & Conferences

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided lectures & conferences on chemical threats, including:

• 'Snapshot of Regional Risks and Sustainability- Incorporating Exercise Cyber-Defence' - Lecture to MIS Chief Information Security Officer Middle East 6th Annual Summit and Roundtable in Dubai (UAE) in February 2014;
• 'Water and CBRNE/Cyber Terrorism: Waterborne threats and sustainability of cities including unusual secondary and tertiary water contamination lessons from Fukushima' - Presentation to the 'Role of Science in the Third Millenium, International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies', 45th Session in Erice (Italy) in August 2012;
• 'CBRNE/Cyber Terrorism & London in 2012' - Technical Briefing to Government sponsored students at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford;
• 'CBRNE Risks' - Lecture to the Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Course, Scottish Police College in Kincardine (Scotland) in June 2009;
• 'Business Drivers and CBRN Terror Solutions' - Lecture to the International Security National Resilience in in London (England) in December 2007;
• 'CRBNE2 - New Risks, New Solutions, New Plans' - Lecture to the 10th International CBRN Defence Symposium at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham (England) in November 2007;
• 'Credibility in CBRNE2 Public Information - Cooperation or Apathy?' - Paper to the CBRN Resilience Defence IQ in London (England) in April 2004;
• 'Securing CBRNE Risk: Global Solutions' - Paper to the ASIS International Members' Meeting in Madrid (Spain) in February 2004;
  
• 'Exercising Skills in CBRN Crises - Risk Assessment and Business Continuity' - Paper to the Managing UK Homeland Security Summit in London (England) in October 2003;
• 'Specific Threats - Chemical and Biological: The Terrorist Threat Against Business' - Paper to the London Conference in London (England) in May 2003;
• 'Exercising New Plans in CBRN Defence' - Paper to the Global Security Conference at the Department of Defence Management and Security Analysis and Security Studies Institute in Shrivenham (England) in October 2002;
• 'Toxic Aftermath - Fire and Explosion' - Paper (with Dr AR Green) to the ANZAAS Congress in Brisbane (Australia) in September 1992;
• 'Two Case Studies: 1 - Nuclear and the Chernobyl Experience; 2 - Biological and Chemical War and Peace, Iraq and Coode Island' - Seminar on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) in Australia in Adelaide (Australia) in February 1992; and
  
• 'Hazardous Substances and the Chemical Industry - Lessons for the Future' - Keynote Paper to the 17th Australasian Chemical Engineering Conference at the Gold Coast (Australia) in August 1989.

Workshop Exercises

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided workshops on chemical threats, including:

• 'Exercise CBRNE2 Resilience' - Tabletop exercise at the Defence IQPC, in London (England) in April 2004;
• 'Exercise Gas, Gas, Gas' - Workshop exercise for the Australian Bomb Data Centre in Canberra (Australia) in October 1999.

Publications

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has written publications on chemical threats, including:

• 'CBRN and the Media: Policy, Plans and Reality' in the Monitor, RUSI, April 2003, Vol. 2(3), 2-4;
• 'The Impact on the Business Community: Building Resilience against Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological, Explosives and Electronic Attacks' - in The Unlikely Terrorists by Rachel Briggs (Editor), November 2002, pp.31-42.
• 'A New Form of Warfare Non-Lethal Weapons' in Arima Corporate Risk, 1997, Vol. 4(11), 86-87; and
• 'Toxic Time Bomb Over Melbourne' in Civil Protection (British Home Office Publication), Spring 1992, Issue 22.

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has also been cited in publications on chemical threats, including:

• Britain and US Fear Syrian Chemical Weapons Could Fall into Hands of Extreme Islamist Groups - by Kim Sengupta, Independent Online (8 January 2013): "The problems with biological agents, Dr Leivesley held, may start by accident rather than the design of either the regime or rebels. “Pathogens such as anthrax, plague, tularemia, botulinium, smallpox, aflotoxin, cholera, and ricin can become exposed by people stumbling across them in insecure bases. If this happens we have the real possibilities of pandemics which will be very difficult to control” she said. “Of course one must guard against being alarmist, but what is necessary is to get as much information as possible so that we can at least know what we are facing."
  
  
• Push for Anti-Nerve Agent Drug - by Paul Rincon, BBC News Online (2 May 2004): "...the principle of unsupervised use of anti-nerve agent drugs by civilians concerns some experts. 'When people are given things to self-administer they will often overdose in anticipation of an attack,' said Dr Sally Leivesley, of UK-based security consultancy NewRisk...Dr Leivesley said there was a race on to develop prophylactic drugs for use by those in the emergency services who might have to respond to multiple attacks with chemical weapons.'"
  
  
• Toxic Waste Must be Removed, Argues Leivesley' by Anonymous, The Sunday Mail (Queensland) (10 June 1990): "Leading environment consultant, Dr Sally Leivesley, yesterday accused the State Govenrment of grossly mishandling the controversial toxic waste issue. She said earthing-over the old gold mine tailing pit which was oozing chemical sludge in the Brisbane suburb of Kingston was a classic example of what not to do...'From the point of view of disaster management it is a total cock-up.'"
  
  
• Test Toxic Sites: Expert' by Anonymous, The Sunday Mail (Queensland) (5 April 1990): "Chemical hazards expert Sally Leivesley today called for immediate testing of any suspected toxic waste sites. Dr Leivesley said Queensland scientists knew there was a problem with poisonous residues from past industry and mines once dotted all over what is now suburban Brisbane."
  
  
• 'Toxic Dollar Superfund Need' by Dr Leivesley, Safety Audit, (March/April 1990): "Cleaning up toxic waste dumps around Australia is a multi-million dollar challenge for the entire nation - and it's a challenge which must be met at a Federal level."

Unpublished Papers

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has written unpublished papers on chemical threats, including:

• Cross-Disciplinary Mitigation of CBRNE2 Risk - prepared for the World Federation of Scientists, International Seminar on Planetary Emergencies (31st session) in May 2004.

To request Newrisk Limited's assistance in connection with a chemical threat, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.