Chemical and Biological Weapons

Paper Summary:

The paper reveals that, although lethal chemical and biological (CB) agents are not very difficult to obtain or produce, the dissemination of CB agents may be more difficult. The paper reveals further that experts believe that only a few CB agents have the ability to paralyze a large city or area of the U.S., causing high casualties, a major panic and massive disruption of commerce. The paper relates that the most probable diseases are anthrax, smallpox and the plague that can and have caused large outbreaks. The paper concludes that the U.S. public health systems must be prepared to detect, diagnose and respond appropriately to these weapons and also be ready to deal with the wide-scale human psychological terror this would cause.

From the Paper:

"The bombings of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center in New York, as well as ongoing terrorist attacks as the car bombs just last month have made it very clear that it is necessary to prepare for the effects of terrorism. Similarly, the sarin gas attacks in Matsumoto and later at the Tokyo Metro in the 1990s by the Supreme Truth religious cult and the anthrax attacks in 2001 added another level to coping with terrorism. With many different biological and chemical weapons possible, it is necessary to somehow narrow down the viable options for preparedness. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Henderson, Donald A "Smallpox as a biological weapon." Journal of the American Medical Association, 283 (1999), 2127-2137
• Kortepeter Mark G. and Gerald W. Parker, "Potential Biological Weapons Threats." Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal. 5 (1999): 523-525
• "Report No. 2000/02: Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism." Perspectives. http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/en/publications/perspectives/200002.asp accessed 2 July 2007
• Sidell, Frederick R and David R. Franz. Introduction to chemical and biological agents. Medical aspects of chemical and biological warfare. Washington, D.C.: Borden Institute, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 1997
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