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Today the MTA and Department of Homeland Security are beginning a week of testing NYC's chemical and biological attack preparedness by dispersing non-toxic gas through the subway system.
When they announced last week that on five days between October 18 and 29, they'd be doing an "airflow and dispersion study" to simulate the aerosol release of a biological agent in a densely populated urban environment, New Yorkers had a lot to say.
With gas being released in Times Square, World Trade Center Complex, Union Square Park, the Union Square subway stations, as well as the Oculus transit hub, many are skeptical of the "non-toxic" nature of the gas (you can see exactly what is in the gas here) while others are finding it a harmless necessity and using it as a chance to make jokes.
We rounded up some comments about the dispersion below:
Some people are not worried:
we all disperse a little non-toxic gas every day, it’s totally natural https://t.co/6IWLAftWoR
— cult enthusiast (@metafizikal_) October 13, 2021
Doesn't this sound like the plot of a movie?
— Victor (@LaszloVictory) October 11, 2021
The terrorists have infiltrated and switched the tanks of non-toxic gas and only Bruce Willis knows the truth. https://t.co/MSpglq0tHL
OH NO, THEY ARE TESTING A COMPLETELY POSSIBLE SCENARIO again WITH non-toxic GAS IN OUR TRAIN SYSTEM!
— Rake (@XSW33572142) October 12, 2021
I am a New Yorker, I would like them to test and figure these things out ahead of time.
Floridians need to be quiet. You don't live here. Stop with the hysterics.
Others are freaked out about it:
It's getting crazier and scarier here.https://t.co/EdY1KbWxCH
— hariehanga (@hariehanga) October 12, 2021
One day this won't be a drill... Homeland security releasing “non-toxic gas” in the subway systems for what reason? This doesn’t sit right with me, It’s time to really move out of NYC. We are basically lab rats and homeland security is running tests on us. Move out of NYC asap! pic.twitter.com/WlJQDfub7I
— :sparkles:THE BRAMMAH BULL:sparkles: :flag-gy: (@STONELOVE__) October 13, 2021
@nycgov @WhiteHouse If you want to test Non-Toxic gas then you can do it in WASHINGTON DC not in NYC during a PANDEMIC in a subway that has 6 million commuters per day .
— Christine | New York (@passivec) October 12, 2021
As mentioned earlier, the particle gas tracers are non-toxic and pose no health risks, according to the DHS. The non-toxic substances include salt, glycerol, maltodextrin (sweetener), a fluorescent brightener, non-coding DNA oligos, amorphous silica among others.
You can read more about it here.