NEW YORK CITY — The NYPD plans to release harmless gasses into the subway during Tuesday's morning rush-hour commute in the first day of its study into the potential impacts of airborne contaminants.
During the study, meant to resemble a terrorist attack or hazardous material accident, officials will release the gas at street-level in Manhattan while police — accompanied by researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory — examine its trajectory through the five boroughs, according to the NYPD.
Researchers and their equipment will be deployed throughout the city to monitor the progress of the low-levels of the gases, known as perfluorocarbons, which are odorless and invisible, according to the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Tuesday's testing was slated to conclude at 3:30 p.m. The study is scheduled to continue for two additional days pending weather conditions, police said.
A similar air flow test was conducted in Manhattan in 2005, but the current study is the first to examine all five boroughs.
"This field study with Brookhaven's outstanding expertise will help prepare and safeguard the city's population in the event of an actual attack," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a statement.
