Biological Weapons and Biological Warfare Essay

These biological agents could be viruses, toxins, bacteria, etc. Agents could be used in war or terrorist attacks. Also, they could be modified to cause extreme diseases and disorders, according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It makes bioterrorism even more tempting to use as it is easy and inexpensive to produce, disseminate and can cause a more widespread panic than other acts of terrorism (1).

Chemical terrorism is the use of natural or synthetic substances such as mustard gas to kill a group of civilians (Freedmen 1). There is also such thing as bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is the use of a biological weapon against a civilian population such as smallpox and fungus (Hoyel 1). Chemical and biological terrorism is very dangerous because it intends to kill a lot of people at a time. Terrorists can get their hands on chemicals but it is much easier for them to get biologics (biological agents) because they are harder to detect and are cheaper to make.

A biological weapon is defined as “any of a number of disease-producing agents, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and toxins, that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals or plants.” (Britannica Online Encyclopedia).

Imagine this: you wake up hours before your alarm sounds to find your entire neighborhood in chaos; people running, robbing banks and stores, and bodies are littering the once calm streets. Over the night, a government-run biological experiment dealing with germ weapons had been released, infecting, destroying, and causing panic across the globe. As a single, globalized society, we need to heighten our security against biological weapons and biological terror to prevent the endangerment of mankind. It would be most beneficial to our species if we did not try to use or experiment with biological weapons, seeing as they are engineered specifically to create social, economic, governmental, military, and general fear and disruption. Bioterror

The Rajneeshee bioterrorism attack is the perfect example of terrorist or an extremist group taking matters in their own hands. It seems that the purpose and method of delivery was well thought out and was not irrational, Diseases have always been the enemy to man and animals, using viruses as weapons clearly presents a threat to the public and to national security.

Bioterrorism did not begin with 2001 anthrax attacks; it has occurred throughout history and its threat to

According to Powerpoint on Select Agents and Toxins in Module 2, a select agent is a biological agent that has the potential to pose a severe threat to animal health and safety, plant health and safety, or to the safety of animal or plant products. Biosecurity is a set of procedures intended to protect humans or animals against disease or harmful biological agents, according to Module 1, Biosecurity and the Importance of Invasive Species. According to the CDC video, "History of Bioterrorism" in Module 2, bioterrorism is the use of weapons of viruses, bacteria, and other germs for an attack. Ricin is a poison found naturally in beans (Select Agents and Toxins Module 2 Powerpoint). It prevents cells from making protein. If inhaled, it can cause

Biological weapons cannot, without explosive components, destroy structures. Nuclear weapons can level entire parts of a city. Nuclear weapons however cannot target specific groups of people within the impact zone whereas biological agents can be deployed in an enclosed space, reducing the number of deaths but targeting only a specific group. This may be important when considering the terrorists constituents. Do they want targeted attacks against only government or military personnel? Would they rather see a high death toll? Terrorist organizations are not typically simply causing death, they are advancing a political or religious ideal that may have limitations that shy away from indiscriminant

In the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001 and the anthrax outbreaks that occurred in the United States, a method needed to be developed to determine if an outbreak was natural or intentionally released. “The open or covert use of pathogens and toxins as biological warfare agents can no longer be ruled out” (Grunow & Finke, 2002, pg. 510). The events that occurred in The Dalles, Oregon further show that such a procedure needed to be developed. In 2002 R. Grunow

Biological threats to the homeland are one of six strategic challenges outlined in The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. Biological threats are sometimes viewed as underrated threat to homeland security compared to the threat of terrorism and nuclear weapons. The following will explain the nature the threat of biological weapons pose on the homeland and the ongoing steps the federal government is implementing to meet this challenge.

The Rajneeshee used a biological weapon in the form of salmonella. The commune actually created the salmonella in a laboratory. The Rajneeshee were to use this on the people of the town in order to make them sick enough so they would not be able to vote and their own members could take political roles. (Thuras 2014)

Throughout the progression of mankind, there has always been a need to become superior in tactics and technology over an opponent. It did not take long for man to discover the effective and deadly tactic of Bioterrorism, which is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or other germs used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. As time passes, everything about bioterrorism becomes more and more sophisticated, making it very difficult to combat with. By examining the history of bioterrorism, one can learn how military forces utilize this deadly weapon.

This is known as biodefense research. The main efforts in biodefense are directed towards understanding the basic biology of potential bioterrorism agents, understanding the interaction between the human immune system and these microorganisms, developing and improving drugs and vaccines that are effective against bioterrorism agents, developing tools to quickly and accurately diagnose diseases caused by these agents, and establishing resources and biosafety laboratories to facilitate biodefense research. These scientists performing this critical research are the ones who have the opportunity to come together for one cause in order to create a less dangerous world. Brian Heap writes in “Scientists Against Biological Weapons”, that “Scientists need to support policy –makers in negotiations to secure an effective international instrument banning the development, production, and use of biological weapons. It is not possible for any single nation to protect itself fully from the malign use of biological agents without complementary action by all other

Before the 20th century, the use of biological agents took three major forms, Deliberate contamination of food and water with poisonous or contagious material using of microbes, biological toxins, animals, or plants (living or dead) in a weapon system, using of biologically inoculated fabrics and persons. Now a day sophisticated bacteriological and virological techniques allowed the production of significant stockpiles of weaponized bio-agents such as; Anthrax, Brucella, Tularemia, Smallpox, Viral hemorrhagic fevers, Botulinum, Ricin, (Legvold, 2012).The most likely route of dissemination is an aerosolized release of 1-5mm particles. Other methods of dissemination include oral, intentional contamination of food/water supply, percutaneous,

Biological and chemical warfare is unreasonable and extremely dangerous in war. Warfare shouldn’t be fearing for your life and hoping to survive the day it should be shoot the enemy throw some explosives and fight for your country. If warfare didn’t have biological and chemicals in it, it’ll be a lot