Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) and Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs) - July 2025
Includes a Live Web Event on 07/30/2025 at 8:50 AM (EDT)
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Register
- Non-member - Tier I - Free!
- Non-member - Tier II - Free!
- Non-member - Tier III - Free!
- Non-member - Tier IV - Free!
- Member - Tier I - Free!
- Member - Tier II - Free!
- Member - Tier III - Free!
- Member - Tier IV - Free!
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:
- Understand the concept of chemical and radiological agents of opportunity (AoO) – TICs, TIMs and TRMs
- Identify possible terrorist use of AoO
- Discuss past mass exposure to AoO
- Describe the major health effects of TICs, TIMs and other important non-volatile chemical agents
- Identify primary treatment modalities for victims
- Appreciate the basis for increased public health preparedness for these agents
- Understand the psychological impact of mass casualties from such exposures
- Understand the implementation of “first receiver” OSHA guidance
Continuing Education: Interprofessional continuing education credits through the CDC are pending.
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
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 Medical Director
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