ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- The Department of Homeland Security is planning to conduct chemical and biological tests near the border between Kansas and Oklahoma.

The Wichita Eagle reports that department officials plan to execute a "low level outdoor release" of inert chemical and biological simulant materials at the old Chilocco Indian School in January and again in June. The campus is in Oklahoma, just 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south of Arkansas City, Kansas.

The department says the test is to determine how protected people would be when staying inside if biological agents are used in a terror attack.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas said Thursday he has "numerous questions" about the tests. He says federal agencies "need to be 100 percent certain this test is safe for the residents of south-central Kansas."

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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com

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