In June 2025, the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences (DEHS) participated in Operation Mohawk Arrow, a multiday, full-scale emergency preparedness exercise coordinated with the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As a network laboratory of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Laboratory Response Network, the Wadsworth Center provides specialized surge capacity testing to the CDC. During operation Mohawk Arrow, staff of the Wadsworth Center’s Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C) and Biological Threats (LRN-B) provided essential field support and laboratory expertise. The exercise tested regional readiness for chemical, biological, and radiological threats, simulating large-scale response efforts across multiple high-profile locations in New York’s Capital Region, including:
- Port of Albany and USS Slater
- Palace Theater
- Saratoga Spa State Park and Saratoga Performing Arts Center
- Lake George State Parks
On the evening of June 10, 2025, the preparedness exercise involved the aerosolized release of a suspected nerve agent. “Patients” then presented to area emergency departments with symptoms consistent with exposure to a blistering agent, which can appear 15 minutes to 24 hours after exposure.
By the following morning, 14 DEHS staff members were alerted that the Wadsworth Center LRN-C laboratory had been activated to respond to the mock threat. The team was tasked with processing 50 simulated patient urine specimens for exposure to three classes of blistering agents, including, sulfur mustards, nitrogen mustards, and Lewisite.
Laboratory staff performed extensive record-keeping and testing, identical to a real event:
- Sample accessioning and tracking
- Analysis using three LRN-C validated methods
- Data review and interpretation
- Reporting results to the test “ordering physician”
All 50 reports were generated and delivered within 26 hours of sample receipt, highlighting the laboratory’s capability to respond rapidly and effectively in surge conditions.