Washington, D.C. led the way as the first U.S. city to install chemical detection systems in two undisclosed subway stations following years of research and development. In 1999, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and several federal agencies including the Department of Energy, Department of Justice, and the Department of Transportation formed a partnership to advance the safety and security of the Metrorail system by installing devices to detect and mitigate potential damage posed by chemical agents. 2

In December 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Department of Energy announced plans to install chemical detection sensors in two Washington, D.C. Metro stations in a pioneering pilot project codenamed the PROTECT system. Short for " Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical/Biological Terrorism ," the PROTECT system technology was developed by three DOE laboratories including Argonne's Decision and Information Systems, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. The sensor units cost between $15,000 and $25,000 per unit. 3

Details regarding PROTECT are highly sensitive. Since the initial installation in two undisclosed Metro locations, WMATA has announced that additional PROTECT systems have been deployed in a dozen major Washington, D.C. area stations. Funding for the twelve additional sites was approved by Congress in December 2001. 4 Today, WMATA officials assert that the sensors are performing to specifications and that a goal is to expand PROTECT throughout all stations, adding additional technology as it becomes available. 5

Although detailed information about the use of sensor technology by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston is difficult to obtain, it is known that MBTA is using biological and chemical sensor technology (according to Congressional documents and Bloomberg News sources). By December 2001, Boston had installed a biological agent detection sensor in a classified location in one of the MBTA stations. The system being used by MBTA detects various biological agents, including smallpox and anthrax. The Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) provided the biological agent detection sensors to MBTA. 6Although an MBTA spokesperson noted in December 2001 that Boston had not yet purchased or installed chemical sensors, statements before the Congressional Committee of Armed Services indicate that MBTA began using chemical sensor technology by March 2002 (in addition to biological sensors) under the same PROTECT system being employed in Washington, D.C. 7

Specific information regarding MIT's biological detection systems is not available; however, the PROTECT chemical detection sensors used by MBTA and WMATA have been described as combining detection, communication and quick-response strategies. Although details regarding the chemicals that the sensor can identify are not accessible, information describing physical capabilities of the units states that the technology includes:

•  Chemical agent detectors

•  VirtualPerimeter™ video for incident verification 8

•  Computer software to simulate the spread of contamination (features both underground and above-ground flow modeling for dispersion of toxic materials)

•  Wireless communication for emergency responders

When PROTECT is triggered, alarms sound at the subway operation center. Computer operators are guided with Argonne-developed software through a series of responses that vary depending on the amount and toxicity of the chemical released. Wired-jack or wireless communications allow emergency workers to carry out aboveground rescues safely.