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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jul 31, 2007
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September 2007, Vol 97, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1578-1583
© 2007 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.099267

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Facilitation of Risk Communication During the Anthrax Attacks of 2001: The Organizational Backstory

Caron Chess, PhD and Lee Clarke, PhD

Caron Chess is with the Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Lee Clarke is with the Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Caron Chess, PhD, Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, 55 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (e-mail: chess_c{at}aesop.rutgers.edu).

ABSTRACT

The anthrax attacks of 2001 created risk communication problems that cannot be fully understood without appreciating the dynamics among organizations. Case studies of communication in New Jersey, consisting of interviews with a range of participants, found that existing organizational and professional networks facilitated trust among decisionmakers. This interpersonal trust improved communication among agencies and thereby risk communication with the public.

For example, "white powder scares" were a problem even in places without contamination. Professionals’ trust in each other was vital for responding productively. Conversely, organizational challenges, including conflict among agencies, hindered communication with key audiences.

Although centralization and increased control are often seen as the remedy for communicative confusion, they also can quash the improvisational responses needed during crises.






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