JOANNE CARLING identifies the significant role A&E nurses have to play in treating and resuscitating victims of chemical incidents

Since the terrorist attack on the US on September 11 2001 and the increasing prevalence of global terrorist activity including threats to the UK, attention has focused on the threat of chemical and biological warfare. Before the attack, bioterrorism had occupied only a small part of the UK public consciousness and threats to civilians from hazardous materials primarily had come from industrial events.