And, CDC's laboratory capacity is unique in the world in that it has the technology and highly trained professionals necessary to make measurements of chemical exposures in people. One common thread in the laboratory component of the public health response to these tragedies is to determine what chemical agents were used, who has been exposed to the agents and to how much . This information is critical for appropriate medical treatment for those who have been exposed, and to allay the fears of those who have not been exposed. Such measurement is known as biomonitoring. Let me provide an example of the value of this information and how CDC's scientific capacity helped to address a recent chemical emergency involving the pesticide methyl parathion.
Methyl parathion is illegal for indoor pesticide use because it acts as a nerve agent.
Though not as strong as the nerve agent used by terrorists to kill people on a Japanese subway in 1995, it affects people the same way. Starting in the fall of 1996, seven states Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Illinois became aware that methyl parathion was being used indoors to control indoor pests. Two children died. Thousands of homes were affected. In order to take appropriate action, public health officials had to determine who had been exposed and to what extent.