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Duct Tape Key to Survival? -- Scientists' Terrorism Study Brings Fame - and Jokes

Posted on: Monday, 7 January 2008, 21:00 CST

OAK RIDGE - John Sorensen and Barbara Vogt Sorensen were probably the first American researchers to tout duct tape as a survival tool against terrorism.

Fortunately, the husband-and-wife research team also had a sense of humor about their survival kit.

In their August 2001 paper - "Will Duct Tape and Plastic Really Work?" - the Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists evaluated "safe-room" techniques the Israelis had developed for short-term protection against chemical warfare. Israel's civil defense authority promoted the idea in advance of the Gulf War.

The ORNL paper didn't receive much attention until after 9/11.

Amid broadening concerns about terrorism, the Federal Emergency Management Agency incorporated it into recommendations for home emergency kits. After Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge pitched the idea during an appearance on the "Today" show in February 2003, the Sorensens' report was downloaded more than 70,000 times in a week.

The attention came in waves - John Sorensen was taking a shower when ABC's Good Morning America called at 6:30 a.m. - and so did the laughter. David Letterman lampooned the idea on late-night TV, and duct tape became a joke in yuk-yuk circles across the country.

"It was just hysterical," Vogt Sorsensen said. "It was funny because we had done it in pure research terms. We were interested in what Israel had done during the war."

Their advice, however, was often misinterpreted - especially the type of plastic that needed to be used to deter plumes of chemical or biological agents.

For the record, the plastic for sealing doors and air vents and any other openings in a windowless room should be 4 mils to 6 mils thick (home garbage bags are in the 1 to 2 mil range), and preferably it should be purchased and pre-cut to size and included in the home kit - in advance of any emergency.

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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