BIOLOGICAL WAR...ARE WE READY...OR NOT..YOUR VOTE COUNT'S ! READ THIS....
MIRVman
During the gulf war, the threat of Iraqi chemical and biological
weapons felt very real, because it was known that Iraq had done
extensive research on these weapons.
BIOLOGICAL WAR
http://www.rotten.com/library/history/war/wmd/biological-weapons/bioweap_delivery.jpg
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the threat feels
very real again. A chemical or biological weapon used in a large city
would kill thousands of people
.
In this Discussion I will discuss how chemical and biological weapons
really work, how they might be deployed and what the actual threats
are.
Understanding Warfare
There is an interesting paradox when it comes to war in the modern
world. Anyone who has experienced war knows that it is about death and
destruction on a massive scale.
People die one at a time because of bullets, bayonets, hand grenades
and landmines, and they die in large groups because of cannons, bombs
and missiles, Buildings, factories or entire cities get destroyed.
Despite the appearance of anarchy, warfare between modern nations does
have rules. These rules, for example, tend to discourage the wholesale
destruction of civilians, and they govern the treatment of prisoners of
war.
The rules are not always followed to the letter, and many times are
broken completely, but they do exist.
Chemical weapons were first used in World War I, and the nations of the
world quickly and uniformly decided that these weapons went too far.
Apparently, killing people with flying metal and explosives was one
thing, but launching a cloud of deadly chemicals -- the effects of
which could neither be predicted nor controlled -- was another.
Significant treaties prohibiting biological and chemical weapons,
starting as early as the 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use
in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of
Bacteriological Methods of Warfare,have been signed by most nations of
the world.
The unfortunate problem is that terrorists, and rogue nations like
Iraq, don't pay attention to significant international treaties. That
is where the threat of chemical and biological weapons used in random
attacks on innocent civilian populations comes from.
The Basics of Chemical and Biological Weapons
Like a nuclear bomb a chemical or biological weapon is a weapon of mass
destruction. An effective attack using a chemical or biological agent
can easily kill thousands of people.
Chemical Weapons
A chemical weapon is any weapon that uses a manufactured chemical to
kill people. The first chemical weapon used effectively in battle was
chlorine gas, which burns and destroys lung tissue.
Chlorine is not an exotic chemical. Most municipal water systems use it
today to kill bacteria. It is easy to manufacture from common table
salt. In World War I, the German army released tons of the gas to
create a cloud that the wind carried toward the enemy.
.
Modern chemical weapons tend to focus on agents with much greater
killing power, meaning that it takes a lot less of the chemical to kill
the same number of people.
Many of them use the sorts of chemicals found in insecticides.
When you spray your lawn or garden with a chemical to control aphids,
you are, in essence, waging a chemical war on aphids.
Many of us tend to imagine a chemical weapon as a bomb or missile that
releases highly toxic chemicals over a city. (For example, the movie
"The Rock" featured a scenario in which terrorists tried to launch a
missile loaded with the chemical VX, a nerve toxin.)
But in 1995, the group Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas, a nerve gas,
in the Tokyo subway. Thousands were wounded and 12 people were killed.
No giant bombs or missiles were involved -- the terrorists used small
exploding cannisters to release the gas in the subway.
Biological Weapons
A biological weapon uses a bacteria or virus, or in some cases toxins
that come directly from bacteria, to kill people. If you were to dump a
load of manure or human waste into a town's well, that would be a
simple form or biological warfare -- human and animal manure contain
bacteria that are deadly in a variety of ways. In the 19th century,
American Indians were infected with smallpox through donated blankets.
A modern biological weapon would use a strain of bacteria or a virus
that would kill thousands of people. Tom Clancy has explored the idea
of biological terrorism in two books: "Executive Orders" and "Rainbow
Six."
In both books, the source of infection is the Ebola virus. In these
plot lines, the infection is spread through small aerosol cans (like
those used by insecticide products to create "bug bombs") released at
conventions, or through misting systems used to cool sports venues.
Feared Chemical Agents
An effective chemical attack would use chemicals that are extremely
toxic to people in small quantities. The most commonly feared agents
include:
Sarin - Sarin is a nerve agent. This means that, once inside your body,
it affects the signaling mechanism that nerve cells use to communicate
with one another.
Sarin is a cholinesterase inhibitor --
It gums up the cholinesterase enzyme, which your nerve cells use to
clear themselves of acetylcholine. When a nerve cell needs to send a
message to another nerve cell (for example, to cause a muscle to
contract), it sends the message with the acetylcholine. Without
cholinesterase to clear the acetylcholine, muscles start to contract
uncontrollably, which eventually causes death by suffocation (since the
diaphragm is a muscle).
Sarin is probably the most feared chemical agent because it has
actually been used by terrorists to kill people. In 1995, the group Aum
Shinrikyo released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway, wounding thousands
and killing 12 people. It is not particularly difficult to manufacture,
and about 1 milligram in the lungs will kill a person.
VX - VX is very similar to Sarin. It works in the same way, but is more
toxic. One milligram on the skin will kill a person. See this page for
more information.
Mustard Gas - Mustard gas has been around since World War I. It
blisters the skin and destroys lung tissue. About 10 milligrams in the
lungs will kill a person.
Lewisite - Lewis
Corlite, like mustard gas, is a blistering agent, and has also been
around since World War I.
One of the problems with these chemical agents is that there is no easy
way to protect yourself. On the battlefield, soldiers wear gas masks
and complete skin covering when chemical or biological attack is deemed
possible.
If a city were to experience a large-scale VX attack, people would have
to be wearing a waterproof and airtight suit and a gas mask at the time
of the attack in order to be protected.
Feared Biological Agents
There are many ways to implement a biological attack, but these are
some of the most feared agents:
Anthrax - Anthrax is a bacteria, but it has a spore form that is very
durable. If the spores or bacteria get into your lungs, they reproduce
and create a toxin that can be fatal. See How Anthrax Works for more
information.
Smallpox - Smallpox is a virus. It was a major killer until it was
controlled with vaccinations in the 20th century. It has been
eradicated world-wide, but the fear is that terrorists could release
new strains.
The main problem with smallpox, unlike with anthrax, is that it is
highly contagious. It spreads and kills very quickly. Up to 40 percent
of people who catch the virus die from it in about two weeks, and there
is no good treatment for the disease.
Vaccinations are the main protection, but they must be given prior to
infection in order to work. This page has extensive information.
Botulin toxin - Botulin bacteria produce the botulin toxin, and this
toxin is deadly to people in incredibly small quantities (as little as
a billionth of a gram). The toxin inhibits the release of the chemicals
in nerve cells that cause muscle contractions, so it causes paralysis.
Ebola virus - The Ebola virus was popularized as a biological warfare
agent by two books written by Tom Clancy. The virus takes about a week
to kill the victim, and spreads through direct contact.
It would also be possible to cause significant problems by targeting
the food supply. For example, foot-and-mouth disease has recently been
a huge problem in Europe. Spreading the disease to the United States
would be relatively easy and very disruptive.
The Spread
The previous sections listed eight of the most-feared chemical and
biological agents. There are dozens of others that are less well known,
either because they are not as toxic or not as easy to spread.
There are three ways to spread a chemical or biological agent so that
it would infect a large number of people:
Through the air
Through a municipal water supply
Through the food supply
The most-feared scenario is through the air. Here are the techniques
most commonly discussed:
A bomb or a missile explodes, spreading the chemical or biological
agent over a wide area.
A crop-duster or other aircraft sprays the agent over a city.
A car or truck drives through the city spraying a fine mist along city
streets in crowded areas.
Small bombs or aerosol canisters are released in crowded areas like
subways, sports arenas or convention centers.