Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) and Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs) - July 2025
- Registration Closed
Overview
The Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism course is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved awareness-level training course addressing the medical and psychological impact of industrial chemicals used as terrorist weapons. Since 2005, ACMT has offered this course over 100 times to more than 10,000 attendees throughout the US and internationally.
Target Audience
1-Day Course Designed for:
- Pre-Hospital First Responders (EMTs and Paramedics)
- Public Health Professionals
- Law Enforcement
- Emergency Providers
This 10-module course will utilize a symptom-based clinical approach to describe the medical impact of various chemical poisons. It will provide a framework to enhance recognition of the common health effects of apparently disparate chemical toxins, describe the risk to various healthcare workers, and introduce clinical and public health management strategies.
Course Objectives:
- Identify the common health effects (toxidromes) caused by chemical exposures.
- Discuss safe and effective management strategies for chemical poison exposures.
- Identify resources that can be used throughout different stages of a chemical public health emergency.
- Describe how healthcare workers along the trajectory of a chemical event can effectively collaborate to offer comprehensive care.
Continuing Education: Interprofessional continuing education credits through the CDC are available. Please see the Continuing Education tab for details.
Agenda | July 30, 2025
8:50 AM - 9:00 AM ET Welcome & Opening Remarks*
CAPT Jill Shugart
Associate Director
Coordinating Office for Environmental Readiness, Response and Recovery (COER3)
National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology
9:00 AM - 9:40 AM ET Toxic Disasters: Beyond Conventional Chemical Weapons
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
9:40 AM - 10:00 AM ET Chemical Explosions
Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM ET Toxic Gases as Threats
Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
10:40 AM - 10:50 AM ET Break*
10:50 AM - 11:30 AM ET Why are Cyanide and Fumigants So Worrisome?
Sukhi Atti, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Associate Medical Director, Alabama Poison Information Center
11:30 AM - 12:10 PM ET Food, Water and Medication as Vehicles for Toxic Threats
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
12:10 PM - 1:00 PM ET Clinical Neurotoxicology of Chemical Threats
Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET Lunch*
1:30 PM - 2:10 PM ET Delayed Toxic Syndromes
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
2:10 PM - 2:50 PM ET The Psychological Impact of Mass Exposures
Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology
2:50 PM - 3:00 PM ET Break*
3:00 PM - 3:40 PM ET After Event Population Monitoring: Pros and Cons
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
3:40 PM - 4:40 PM ET Scenario-Based Discussion
Sukhi Atti, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Associate Medical Director, Alabama Poison Information Center
Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology
4:40 PM - 4:50 PM ET Closing Remarks/Adjourn*
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology
Note: Sessions marked with an asterisk (*) are not eligible for continuing education (CE). CE will not be provided for scheduled breaks or lunch periods.
Sukhshant (Sukhi) Atti, MD
Associate Medical Director
Alabama Poison Information Center
Sukhi Atti is an Assistant Professor and practices Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology. After finishing medical school at St. George’s University, she pursued residency (Emergency Medicine) at Beth Israel Medical Center, then a fellowship (Disaster Medicine) at Beth Israel Deaconess and a second fellowship (Medical Toxicology) at Emory University. She moved to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the summer of 2020 to work with the emergency medicine residency and medical toxicology programs. She currently is a staff toxicologist with the Alabama Poison Information Center and the course director for Medical Toxicology for UAB emergency medicine residents and medical students.
Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology
Emory University School of Medicine
Dr. Emily Kiernan is an Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician who recently completed a medical toxicology fellowship at Emory University/CDC. She has served as the fellow co-chair for the AACT Radiation Special Interest Section group as well as a chair in the ACMT Fellow-in-training association.
Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
Associate Clinical Professor
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Dr. McKay was trained in Anatomic and Surgical Pathology, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology and was a Medical Director of Occupational Health and Medical Review Officer for a hospital system during more than 30 years of clinical practice, during which he provided toxicology consultation at 3 hospitals, directed a medical toxicology fellowship training program, and provided medical oversight of a regional poison control center. He provides medical legal consultation across the country on toxicology-related issues, and has testified in nearly 100 cases, many related to questions of alcohol- and drug-induced impairment.
Paul M. Wax, MD, FACMT
Executive Director
American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT)
Dr. Wax is the Executive Director of the American College of Medical Toxicology. He received his B.A from Dartmouth College, his M.D. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, his Emergency Medicine training at the UCLA Hospitals, and his Medical Toxicology training at Bellevue Medicine Center / New York University. He is Board-certified in both Medical Toxicology and Emergency Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Toxicology.
Registration Rates
ACMT Member | Free |
Non-member | Free |
Registration will include:
- Access to the on-demand recordings of all lectures for 1-year
- Continuing Education (provided at no cost through CDC via TCEO) - CURRENTLY PENDING.
- Downloadable Attendance Certificate
Please note that for proprietary reasons, PDFs of the presentation slides will not be available for download. You will have access to an on-demand recording of the course for one year from the event date.
Interested in becoming an ACMT Member? Contact our Membership Manager at membership@acmt.net. Learn more at: www.acmt.net/membership
Continuing Education
Objectives
- Identify the common health effects (toxidromes) caused by chemical exposures.
- Discuss safe and effective management strategies for chemical poison exposures.
- Identify resources that can be used throughout different stages of a chemical public health emergency.
- Describe how healthcare workers along the trajectory of a chemical event can effectively collaborate to offer comprehensive care.
Available CE Categories
CME: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
CNE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this activity for 6.75 nursing contact hours.
CPE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated this (Knowledge-based) event for pharmacists to receive 0.675 CEUs in pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number is JA4008229-9999-25-058-L05-P.
Once credit is claimed, an unofficial statement of credit is immediately available on CDC TRAIN. Official credit will be uploaded within 60 days on the NABP/CPE Monitor.
CEU: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is authorized by IACET to offer 0.7 CEU's for this program.
CECH: Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designed for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES®) to receive up to 7 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced level continuing education contact hours available are 7. Continuing Competency credits available are 7. CDC provider number 98614.
Instructions for Obtaining CE
To receive continuing education (CE) for SCWC4898-Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) and Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs), please visit CDC TRAIN and search for the course in the Course Catalog using [SCWC4898]. Follow the steps below by 09/01/2025.
- Register for and complete the course.
- Pass the post-assessment at 70%.
- Complete the evaluation.
- Visit Your Learning to access your certificates and transcript.
The registration code will be provided to participants during the live webcast.
Hardware/Software Requirements
Computer or Other Internet-Enabled Device; Internet Connection; Browser or Zoom Application.
Materials
None.
Prerequisites
None.
Format
This activity is Web-based/Web on Demand.
Fees
No fees are charged for CDC’s CE activities.
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT), and Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Disclosure
In compliance with continuing education requirements, all planners and presenters/moderators must disclose all financial relationships, in any amount, with ineligible companies over the previous 24 months as well as any use of unlabeled product(s) or products under investigational use.
CDC, our planners, and presenters/moderators wish to disclose they have no financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
Presentations will not include any discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a product under investigational use.
CDC did not accept financial or in-kind support from ineligible companies for this continuing education activity.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sex. To learn more visit: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html.
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