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Mr. Helal Uddin, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at East West University, has published a new research article titled “Changing Patterns in Chemical Terrorism 1970–2021” in Frontiers in Public Health (Section: Disaster and Emergency Medicine), a Scopus-indexed Q1 journal with an impact factor of 3.4. The study was conducted in collaboration with his European research team.

The article examines global incidents of chemical terrorism over five decades using data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). A total of 353 cases were analyzed to understand trends, geographic distribution, and toxic agents used. Findings show that while chemical terrorism incidents increased between 1970 and 2015, they declined between 2016 and 2021. South Asia and the Middle East/North Africa were the most affected regions.

The study highlights that nerve agents and organophosphates were among the most frequently used chemical toxins and caused the highest mortality and injury rates. Despite the decline, chemical terrorism remains a significant public health threat, underscoring the need for improved detection systems, standardized response protocols, and enhanced training for first responders—particularly in managing nerve-agent exposures.

This publication contributes important evidence toward strengthening global preparedness and response to chemical terrorism.

Read the full article here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1689809/full