Terrorism prompts review of pesticide and equipment security

By MSU News Service

 10/3/2001

              BOZEMAN -- Would terrorists think Montana's "Big Open" was a great place to steal chemicals or pesticide application equipment? Would they eye our long northern border and think of it as an open door?

            Agricultural insecticides are less likely to be sought for biological weapons than animal disease agents, but household and agricultural products can be misused and the security of equipment used to disperse chemicals also is important, say Montana officials.

            Ralph Peck, director of Montana's Department of Agriculture, says caution is appropriate.

            "There is a very, very high concern now about proper use of equipment," says Peck. He adds that the state Department of Agriculture has been asked by the FBI to work with mosquito districts and others to inventory and secure pesticide application equipment.

            "We've had a huge flurry of activity here at the department," said Peck. In addition to the FBI, both the EPA and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture have communicated about security concerns.

            For Reeves Petroff, Montana State University Extension pesticide education specialist, the focus is more on the security of agricultural chemicals.

            "With the Oklahoma bombing, we saw fertilizer misused. I want to make sure agricultural products are never misused like that again," says Petroff.

            "Most people think terrorists wouldn't even come to Montana, and they're probably right. I just want to emphasize that all agricultural dealers and users of agricultural chemicals need to keep their eyes and ears open and lock up their agricultural chemicals," says Petroff.

            Petroff, before heading the Extension pesticide education program, served in the Army and had training in nuclear, biological and chemical defense. He also served in the Montana National Guard for 14 years and received training in Army intelligence.

            "Part of intelligence training is to study methods of terrorist operation. That training points out that an important component of countering terrorists is identification of what's called 'sentinel events.' They're basically unrecognized warnings that may provide opportunities for prevention of an attack," says Petroff.

            Those warnings could be as simple a person asking too many questions about chemicals or questions about unusual means of applying them.

            "Not all terrorists fit stereotypes," adds Petroff, so asking a few questions of people seeking to buy quantities of chemical products may help distinguish between friend and foe. "Good storage management is the best way to overcome a lot of these concerns. Make sure you keep a complete inventory of what you have. Keep it secured. Make sure that only authorized people handle pesticides and fertilizer. Make sure that you can observe what is going on at your storage site at all times."

            "Basically, keep your eyes open and keep things locked up," concludes Petroff.

Photos: Right photo is Ralph Peck, Director of Montana's Department of Agriculture
              Left photo is Reeves Petroff, MSU Extension pesticide education specialist

A sound file of MSU Extension Pesticide Education Specialist Reeves Petroff commenting on appropriate safety procedures for chemical storage is available to download from the web at:

http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/ag/ReevesPetroff9282001.mp3

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Send questions or comments to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717 or email Flaherty at carolf@montana.edu.

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