Gas will be sprayed at 120 subway stations in New York: intelligence agencies are rehearsing a response to a terrorist attack

This month, the MTA and the Department of Homeland Security will conduct a somewhat eerie experiment in New York. According to the message Time-out, for five days - from 18 to 29 October - security forces will spray non-toxic gas at about 120 stations underground. In this way, plans for the response of New York law enforcement officers to a chemical or biological attack will be tested.

According to the portal 311, The “airflow and dispersion study” will simulate the release of a biological agent in a densely populated urban environment. The researchers will then take samples of air and materials that will settle on the ground and other surfaces. This will help assess the range and extent of the spread of the gas launched into the air.

Testing will take place at Times Square, World Trade Center, Union Square Park, Union Square, and the Oculus transit hub, according to DHS.

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The department stressed that the sprayed gas is non-toxic and does not pose a health hazard. DHS reportsthat the substances included in it include salt, glycerin, maltodextrin (sweetener), fluorescent bleach, non-coding DNA oligonucleotides, amorphous silica and others. In addition, the gas includes sulfur hexafluoride. It is a harmless gas commonly used in leak testing. It is already present in cities due to its use in the electric power industry.

Perfluorocarbon tracer gases are harmless, inert, odorless, colorless gases. They have been used in the past in many similar airflow studies.

During the tests, residents are likely to see researchers and police officers near and inside metro stations.

This is not the first time this test has been conducted in New York; it was last conducted in 2016.