Why Are Biological Weapons Bad

The 1995 Sarin subway attack in Tokyo and the Anthrax letters scare along with multiple attempts by terrorists both at home and abroad have illustrated the fact that terrorists are not objected to using chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.

Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, toxins or other harmful agents to cause illness or death in people, livestock, or crops. These agents are typically found in nature, but could be mutated or altered to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Bacillus anthracis is one of the most popular agents to be used in a bioterrorism attack. Anthrax could be used in many forms, for example, it can be placed into letters and mailed, much like the 2001 anthrax attack, anthrax can be released into the air where the spores can be easily blown by the wind and inhaled or can be carried around on objects such as people’s clothes to which it has

People will do almost anything to win or achieve their goals and that is sometimes a good thing. However, there have been instances where people have taken the idea to the extreme. So extreme that it was even banned at the end of World War 1 at the Geneva Convention. The topic is Biological Warfare. This type of warfare uses toxins or contagious agents instead of using guns and explosives. Toxins and agents such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. All of them are different things and have different effects but all have the same goal, and that is to disable or kill humans, animals, and plants to win the war. This warfare is cruel and inhumane and should never be used by anyone. If anyone did they should be punished severely. Why shouldn’t we use this? Well one example is World War 1.

With Biological Weapons had no evidence of such agent that was deployed and they were also designed to kill rapidly in minutes and had no fatalities that could attribute to the weapon. (Illness) Chemical Weapons had some concerns because it was known for fatalities. With Chemical Weapons you had cancer. Over 125,000 U.S. troops and 9,000 UK, troops were exposed to nerve gas and mustard gas when Iraq was bombed in 1991. (News-Medical)

There are numerous biological agents that can be utilized to achieve bioterrorism goals. Anthrax in particular, is an ideal biological organism of choice for offensive use. The anthrax bacterium known as, Bacillus anthracis, is a gram positive, spore forming, non-motile bacterium and the etiologic agent of anthrax (Goel, 2015). The spores of the bacterium are what makes anthrax an attractive biological weapon of choice. The spores are very resilient to withstand pressure, temperature, pH and ionizing radiations and even have a half-life of 100 years (Goel, 2015). The spores can also survive in water, soil and on the surface for years (Goel, 2015). Due to the biology of the spores, anthrax can survive for several decades in the environment (Goel, 2015) and can be quite the public health nuisance. The spores can even be produced and purified and stored in a dry form that can remain viable for decades (Goel, 2015). This dried form of anthrax was used in the 2001 anthrax attacks against United States government officials (Barras & Greub, 2014). This form of anthrax can also be utilized for an aerosol

Bioterrorism is defined according to Centers of Disease Control & Prevention as “deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants” (CDC, 2007). Going into history, it can be said that bioterrorism is not a recent phenomenon, since it has been practiced as a war tactic in middle ages, many European wars and in the World Wars (Riedel 2004; Wheelis 2002).In the North American context, it is pertinent to mention about the Siege of Fort Pitt. A British commander by the name of Amherst, has been alleged to order distribution of blankets to Native Americans, which were previously contaminated by small pox patients(Riedel, 2004).It is also reported that many countries were involved in developing biological weapons program both in World War I

Bioterrorism is not a distant threat that may concern us twenty years from now.  It has occurred throughout history and continues to this day.  As recently as 1996, a man from Ohio with connections to an extremist group was able to obtain Bubonic Plague cultures through the US Postal Service (Danzig & Berkowsky, 1997).  In the last month, several people within the United States have become infected with anthrax.  As we stand right now, America is unprepared for a large-scale attack with biological weapons, and as we continue with our "War on Terrorism," the likelihood of such an attack is increasing every day.  Terrorists can use three major methods to most effectively distribute a biological agent in the US: 1) air dispersal to

Terrorists would be more likely to utilize a biological weapon over a nuclear weapon against the United States for multiple reasons. The creation process, required funding, and resources needed to obtain possession of a biological weapon, compared to a nuclear weapon, are easier. As stated by Kostadinov and Galabova, “with their features bio-agents are ideal as a terrorists weapons undoubtedly proved by performed bioterrorism assessment” (Kostadinov, 2010, p. 303). The use of a biological weapon is the, for lack of a better term, best choice for terrorists to use against their enemies. The biggest goal they are going for is to inflict the largest amount of fear throughout the population as possible. It is a very scary thing to know that the

Why would I consider a biological weapon of mass destruction more probable? A biological attack is the “…intentional release of a pathogen or bio toxin….against humans plants or animals…” (Forest & Howard, 2013, p. 113). These pathogens and bio toxins are intentionally released because they can cause economic catastrophe, illness, deaths, fear, and even disruption to normal day practices. Another advantage is that these weapons are silent killers; several people may be infected before it’s even found.

Taking a look in history and ignoring weapon effectiveness, biological weapons were created and used frequently. According to Kostadinov & Galabova (2010) biological weapons were used in 700 BC (p. 296). Specific examples in the United States; the British provided smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans and infected clothing created for union troops during the Civil War (p. 297). The intent behind these weapons was to create the utmost fear and devastation of the enemy. Considering biological weapons could be produced without any of today’s technology, the confidence to do so in the 21st century would appear to increase, moreover the attempt most appealing.

For example, in the book, ¨Biological Warfare,¨ the author, Don Nardo, states that if “... airborne anthrax spores are inhaled...One billionth of a gram can kill a one person,” (Nardo 16). So if even one person inhaled a couple spores, it could spread across the world. Some argue a nuke could quickly destroy a city, But a Biochem could quickly destroy a civilization. Additionally, in the article, ¨Pharma Firms aim to Reduce Bio-Warfare Threat,¨ the author states that “...if anthrax spores are processed to form an aerosol...it typically becomes fatal in 50-90% of untreated cases,” (Eldridge and Hollis 1). So essentially a person that’s infected, if not addressed early will spread it and later on die. The U.S. also needs to teach people in the public what symptoms there are and what to do about the person. If people don’t know what most of the chems look like, they will spread a lot

Bioterrorism refers to biological agents (microbes or toxins) used as weapons to further personal or political agendas. Acts of bioterrorism range from a single exposure directed at an individual by another individual to government-sponsored biological warfare resulting in mass casualties. (CDC) The way that bioterrorism happens is that there is a deliberate release of germs or other biological substances that can cause individuals to become sick. This attack happens internally rather than externally. According to Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “ In the U.S., the risk of contracting anthrax is extremely low. The intentional release of anthrax following the events of 9/11 resulted in only twenty-two recognized cases of cutaneous

Biological warfare may wipe out human existence and all signs of life on this earth, but we have no say. The United States has the strongest military defence force in the world which also makes them more empower than any other country. The United States is so advanced they have man made biological weapons ready to send off at the commander’s command. ISIS has the power to attack any country they wanted to with a Biological Weapon causing destruction and panic. Most military defences have a Biological defence laboratories where they test all their bioweapons. America has been seen testing biological weapons in public to check if they were effective, this has questioned many people making them think that biological warfare and biological terrorism

In a New York Times Magazine article 10 years after 9/11, titled “How Ready are We for Bioterrorism?”, our country’s readiness against a bioterrorism attack is carefully assessed. The article states that with the sophisticated laboratories and technologies we have today, “a person at a graduate-school level has all the tools and technologies to implement a sophisticated program to create a bioweapon”(Hylton p.2). This means that the number of potential perpetrator goes up exponentially and we are not ready for this reality. The article also puts emphasis on how simple the object of the biological attack can be: “a handshake, a breath can become a poison”(Hylton p.1). In the article, a simulation known as Dark Winter took place and the results were not close to satisfactory levels. In conclusion, United States is not prepared for a biological

The reason why the use of biological weapons for terrorism could be a choice f or many people is due to the fact that they are elements that are difficult to detect in the air without a biological experimentation and test. The human body through its senses cannot detect the presence of these agents hence forming the perfect agent for terrorists as they can kill people without them knowing that they are in contact with the agents of death. The other reason is due to the ease in obtaining these elements then alter them to be harmful. The fact that they can easily spread even through air also makes them a weapon of choice since they can be passed from one person to another or