AgAviation of Washington, DC It is certainly understandable why municipalities in Maine are readying their emergency response programs in the event of a terrorist act. With that said the coordinator of the Cities Readiness Initiative for Portland's public health division and his comment that a widespread attach might be spread by a crop duster is way off the mark. Dr. Amy Smithson, a bio-terrorism expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies has stated that “To infect the human lung, the required particle size of a biological warfare agent is 1 to 10 microns, ideally 1 to 5. Yet, the sprayers on the average crop duster aim to disperse in 100 micron particle sizes or greater." In addition, these organisms can be destroyed with the high pressures required to generate smaller droplets. Never in the history of ag aviation has a spray plane been involved in any terrorist activity. From excessive weight to tail-configured steering, an ag plane is a unique aircraft to fly. The complexity and sophistication of aerial application aircraft, combined with the level of skill required to operate these planes make it unlikely that they could be used in attacks by terrorists. Today’s aerial applicators store aircraft and crop protection products in locked hangars with electronic security systems when not in use. They also install outdoor security lighting around hangars and operations; park and disable loader trucks, forklifts, or other heavy equipment to block aircraft; equip their aircraft with propeller locks, propeller chains or tie-downs and/or install hidden security switches to prevent unauthorized startup of the aircraft. Agricultural aviation is a vital part of helping our nation’s farmers produce a safe affordable and abundant food, fiber and bio-fuel supply for the nation and the world.report abuse