Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives operational headquarters 1. Usually these are bacteria, viruses, or fungi, but may also include plasmodia, prions, or even insects. The proliferation and use of biological warfare agents is now widely recognized to be one of the most serious threats to national and regional security. To be an effective biological weapon, airborne germs must be dispersed as fine.
Anthrax bacillus anthracisbotulism clostridium botulinum toxinplague yersinia pestissmallpox variola majortularemia francisella tularensisviral hemorrhagic fevers filoviruses e. Environmental expsoures programs and services for veterans. Transmissible agents that spread from person to person e. Contents biological warfare some infectants some graphs stating the effect biological and chemical warfare use of bioweapons bioweapons historical proofs case study 4. Request pdf biological warfare agents there is a long historic record of use of biological warfare bw agents by warring countriesagainst. Yet multilateral efforts to deal with this problem proceed at a snails pace. Apartheids chemical and biological warfare programme. Biological weapon, any of a number of diseaseproducing agentssuch as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agentsthat may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants. Ballistic, blast, and burn injuries 1991 occupational health.
Biological warfare share this page biological warfare bw also known as germ warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Biological warfare has evolved from the crude use of cadavers to contaminate water supplies to the development of specialized. Biological warfare bwalso known as germ warfareis the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Reichart joint forces quarterly spring 1998 271 kb pdf new biological warfare agents through advances in biotechnology department of defense 09 september 1997 table of contents. An attack against people could be used to cause illness, death, fear, societal disruption, and economic damage. Preparing in peace for war 1994 anesthesia and perioperative care of the combat casualty 1995 war psychiatry 1995 medical aspects of chemical and biological. Pathogens variously cited as possible agents of biological warfare or terrorism are listed in table a3. Biological warfare an overview sciencedirect topics. To be infected, a person must breathe a sufficient quantity of particles into the lungs to cause illness.
Biological warfare biological warfare also known as germ warfare is the use of biological toxin or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi with an intent to. The worldwide nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare threat us army chemical school 21 august 1998 adversarial use of chemical and biological weapons john f. These agents can cause largescale mortality, morbidity and can incapacitate a large number of people in the shortest possible time. Biological warfare agents highprecision biological warfare agent analysis in the field or laboratory. Biological warfare, bioterrorism, biodefence and the. Among the countries that developed a massive programme on bioweapons research. Agents that may cause adverse effects in exposed individuals but that do not make those individuals contagious to others e. The former us biological warfare program 19431969 categorized its weaponized antipersonnel bio agents as either lethal agents bacillus anthracis, francisella tularensis, botulinum toxin or incapacitating agents brucella suis, coxiella burnetii, venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, staphylococcal enterotoxin b.
A rather comprehensive study of the characteristics of chemical and biological weapons, the types of agents, their acquisition and delivery has been made purver. Before the 20th century, biological warfare took on three main forms. File this transmittal sheet in front of the publication. Anthrax, biological warfare, bioterrorism, history, military medicine, plague. Chemical and biological warfare overview, 2015 air university. The threat of biological warfare agents against united states. Although a number of possible biological warfare agents are known, the ones considered most likely to be used against gulf war troops were anthrax and botulinum toxin.
An attack on agricultural plants and animals would primarily cause economic damage, loss. Apr 09, 2012 contents biological warfare some infectants some graphs stating the effect biological and chemical warfare use of bioweapons bioweapons historical proofs case study 4. Lungdamaging agents and toxic industrial chemicals 33 5. The aim of this work was the production of a new more dangerous, more easily spread and more difficult to identify combat generation of bioweapons.
Nov 16, 2019 the use of biological agents is not a new concept, and history is replete with examples of biological weapons use. Key provisions of the biological weapons convention include. The soldier and the industrial base 1993 military dermatology 1994 military psychiatry. There are also some biological agents that could be used to promote the deterioration of key materials. Concern regarding the use of biological agents bacteria, viruses, or toxinsas tools of warfare or terrorism has led to measures to deter their use or, failing that, to deal with the consequences. The development of the biological agent threat spectrum over time.
Biological warfare agents request pdf researchgate. Ensuring protection from biological warfare agents using data analysis methods that are traceable, easily validated and legally defensible is vital to homeland security. Bioterrorism agents are living organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi, or toxins that are deliberately used to sicken and kill. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 181k, or click on a page image below to browse page.
Biological weapons often termed bioweapons, biological threat agents, or bioagents are living organisms or replicating entities viruses, which are. Biological weapon, also called germ weapon, any of a number of diseaseproducing agentssuch as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agentsthat may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants the direct use of infectious agents and poisons against enemy personnel is an ancient practice in warfare. Walt we developed a fiberoptic, microspherebased, highdensity array composed of 18 speciesspecific probe microsensors to identify biological warfare agents. Highpriority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they. Article i never under any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile, acquire or retain biological weapons. History of biological warfare and bioterrorism core. Biological warfare agents can be disseminated in various ways. Cdc preparation and planning for bioterrorism emergencies. Use the resources on this page to plan and prepare for a possible bioterrorism attack. In the ancient history, the wellknown attempt of use of biological warfare agent was during the 14 th century medieval siege of kaffa, feodosiya, ukraine. Concern regarding the use of biological agentsbacteria, viruses, or toxinsas tools of warfare or terrorism has led to measures to deter their use or, failing that, to deal with the consequences. Biological warfare bw also known as germ warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.
They may be used by terrorists partially because of their psychological impact on the public and partially because they can be deadly, are easy to distribute, are a relatively inexpensive weapon, and are difficult to detect. In summary, we know that biological pathogens have been used for biological warfare and terrorism, and their potential for future use is a major concern. Article ii to destroy or divert to peaceful purposes biological agents, toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery prior to joining. Biological warfare is a relatively old concept that has been in use for nearly 2500 years. Biological agents are divided into categories based on the type of pathogen involved. This publication highlights ways to strengthen international. Field management and triage of contaminated casualties on the integrated battlefield 71 10. Jfk files reveal us biological warfare plans against cuba. Full text get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 79k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bioagents. Department of defense chemical, biological, radiological. For resources relevant to preparation and planning for all types of emergencies, please see emergency preparedness and response. The information herein has been compiled from official publications of the department of the army, office 0f civil and defense mobilization, department of health, education and welfare, and from other sources. As world war ii was ending, secretary of war henry stimson ordered that research and development in biological warfare should continue.
Cdc bioterrorism agentsdiseases by category emergency. As human, animal and plant pathogens and toxin lists will be hard to define we propose several tables of enlisted pathogens and toxins with important criteria on the basis of which a decision can be made to include in or exclude from a list of biological agents and toxins. Biological warfare agents are microorganisms like virus, bacteria, fungi, protozoa or toxins produced by them, that give rise to diseases in man, animals or plants, when deliberately dispersed in an area table 1. A us army memo from 1963, recently released by the national archives, lists a number of ideas to exploit cuban vulnerabilities, including the initiation of biological warfare. The direct use of infectious agents and poisons against enemy personnel is an ancient. All the virology on the www biological weapons and warfare.
The attraction of bioweapons in war, and for use in terroristic attacks is attributed to easy access to a wide range of diseaseproducing biological agents, to their. Handbook of chemical and biological warfare agents d. To be an effective biological weapon, airborne germs must be dispersed as fine particles. Medical aspects of biological warfare united states army. Some of the agents used as the biological weapon include the bacteria such as chlamydophila psittaci, coxiella burnetii, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, burkholderia mallei, bacillus anthracis, vibrio cholera, and burkholderia pseudomallei. The chief of the chemical warfare service renamed the chemical corps in 1946 was put in charge of the program, and he was to be guided by the advice of the surgeon general on medical aspects. Biological warfare article about biological warfare by. Handbook of chemical and biological warfare agents. Exposure during military service to chemical and biological weapons listed below potentially could cause certain health problems in veterans, depending on a number of other factors. We simultaneously identified multiple biological warfare agents in environmental samples by looking at specific probe.
These organisms are potential biological agents because of their lethality, high infectivity by the aerosol route shown in animal models, and possibility for replication in tissue culture. Biological warfare article about biological warfare by the. A biological attack is the intentional release of a pathogen disease causing agent or biotoxin poisonous substance produced by a living organism against humans, plants, or animals. They are invisible, odorless, tasteless, and can be spread silently. Biological weapons often termed bioweapons, biological threat agents, or bioagents are living organisms. Pdf biological warfare and bioterrorism researchgate. The threat and use of biological agents for warfare and terrorism purposes has a long history. A jfk document release last year revealed an intelligence memorandum from 1962 discussing the possibility of using biological agents to induce crop failure which would appear to be of natural origin. In this incident, the tartars mongols who attacked.
Biological warfare agents are easy to hide and difficult to detect or protect against. A biological agent also called bioagent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, or fungus that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism or biological warfare bw. Department of defense chemical, biological, radiological, and. Although a number of possible biological warfare agents are known, the ones considered most likely to be used against gulf war troops were anthrax and. The alleged used of biological agents is a serious problem and the risk of using these agents in a bioterrorist attack is increasing. Biological warfare list of high impact articles ppts. Biological warfare, bioterrorism, biodefence and the biological and. Bioterrorism, emerging infections, and pandemics 1203 focused on destroying what they believe to be evil forces, and the discovery of iraqs stockpiled anthrax, botulinum toxin, and other biological warfare agents. The medical consequences of exposure to these two agents1 are well understood iowa persian gulf study group, 1994, and diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies exist for. Evidence exists for deliberate use of microorganisms and toxins as bioweapons throughout history. Biological warfare agents linan song, soohyoun ahn, and david r. Technological advancements for the detection of and protection against biological and chemical warfare agents. Potential biological weapons threats volume 5, number 4. Guidelines for local responders, based on existing procedures, on the initial response to letters.
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