Biological Warfare & Chemical
Threats to the United States!
Radical Islamic Terrorist Cells
are operating throughout the United States.
We must be MUCH more aware of our surroundings,
neighbors and be more suspicious of what is happening around us.
We, as the greatest free nation in the world,
must change and make security Priority one for our people and country.
We will have to adopt more policies used by the
Israel’s for our own security.
We may have to do racial profiling to sort out
those that are so willing to kill (for Ali) our civilian & military
personnel.
If this is what has to be done…So Be It!
The security of our People is worth it, don’t
YOU think?
We WILL SURVIVE; there is NO doubt about it!
The following is some information that I feel
may be useful in to all concerned about more terrorist attacks and the biological/chemical threats that COULD be used.
This information has been compiled through my
research on the web and contains info from MSNBC, Military.con, Internet and
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.
It is intended to give you more awareness of
what these terrorists could use and is not intended to scare or horrify anyone.
MSNBC Article:
U.S. gearing up against possible chemical attack
Federal
officials lifted the ban on crop dusters Tuesday morning,
after it
was implemented due to the threat of a possible attack using
that
equipment. NBC 6 Senior Correspondent Ike Seamans has undergone
chemical
warfare training and brings a unique perspective to this threat.
In 1995, there was a chemical attack in a Tokyo Subway. 12 people
were killed in that attack and 5,500 were injured. Thousands could have died,
but the terrorists botched the job.
In 1990, Iraqi chemical weapons wiped out a Kurdish village.
Now experts say it can and will happen here.
“If they can get a
hold of it now, they can disperse it in this community without much
difficulty,”
said Chuck Lanza, the
head of Miami-Dade’s Emergency Management Office.
Ike Seamans went to the Army's Biological Chemical Command at the
Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, which trains local emergency planners. He
tried the “Quick Mask.” It’s what you can buy in stores today for smoke
inhalation and can even protect you from chemical attack.”
But, in the simulated Hot Zone Gas Chamber, Ike discovered that
it’s not enough to protect you and your family from chemical and biological
weapons. You'll need something better.
No one doubts an attack will come.
When the army tester was asked if something like this was coming,
he replied, “Yes, it probably is.”
According to scientists for the United States Defense Department,
when microscopic spores or bioweapons enter the body, and the body has not been
vaccinated against the particular poison, the biological weapon destroys
tissues and attacks the immune system. Death occurs within days.
Experts have been warning of the threat for years. Just two years
ago, President Clinton, after reading a novel about a biological attack,
ordered a massive biochemical defense program to begin.
Tuesday morning on the today show, Katie Couric spoke with one
expert who says in this time of nuclear or biological war threats, we’ll need
to rely on the government.
When asked how we could take matters into our own hands, NBC News
analyst and terrorism expert Steve Emerson said, “My own mother asked me
whether she should get a gas mask, and frankly it hits home when the family
asks. And I told her look, at this point a gas mask is not going to be required
in your home, because if an attack occurs it is going to be in an open area.
And a gas mask is not going to protect her from a biological agent. So, I told
her to save her $200 at this point and just let the government do what it needs
to do, and I believe it will do.”
Two days after the World Trade Center attack, a bill was introduced
in the Senate to spend more than $100 billion to start making vaccines, but
that will still take years.
Sept. 18, 2001– While the FBI is working up new plans to combat
terrorism, a panel on national security reminds us that biological warfare is
also a threat.
MSNBC Report http://www.msnbc.com/local/wtvj/nbc2w1atxrc.asp
Some
Biological Warfare Threats
Types of Agents
BW (Biological
Warfare) agents differ widely in infectiousness, length of incubation period,
and lethality.
Bacteria are single-cell
organisms that are the causative agents of anthrax, brucellosis, tularemia, plague, and
numerous other diseases. They vary considerably in infectivity and lethality.
Rickettsiae are microorganisms that resemble bacteria in form and
structure but differ in that they are intracellular parasites that can
reproduce inside animal cells. Examples of rickettsial diseases that might be
used for BW include typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Q fever.
Viruses are intracellular parasites that are about 100 times smaller
than bacteria. They can infect humans, crops, or domestic animals. An example
of a virus that might be used for BW is Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis. VEE
virus causes a highly infectious disease that incapacitates but rarely kills. A
virusís strength can be altered to increase its efficiency. A particularly
powerful strain of an endemic pathogen could simply be blamed on a chance
natural mutation.
Some Fungi can cause severe disease in humans, such as coccidioidmycosis
(valley fever) and histoplasmosis. Moreover, fungal diseases are devastating to
plants and might be used to destroy staple crops and cause widespread hunger
and economic hardship. Examples of plant fungal pathogens include rice blast,
cereal rust, and potato blight.
A toxin is a poisonous substance made by a living system, or a synthetic
analogue of a naturally occurring poison. An enormous variety of toxins are
manufactured by bacteria, fungi, marine organisms, plants, insects, spiders,
and other animals. (CIA)
Production of Agents
BW agents are
relatively easy and inexpensive to produce for any nation that has a modestly
sophisticated pharmaceutical or fermentation industry. Mass-production methods
for growing cultures are widely used in the commercial production of yogurt,
yeast, beer, antibiotics, and vaccines. Almost all equipment needed for the production
of pathogens and toxins is dual-use and available on the international market,
increasing the potential for concealing illicit activities under the cover of
legitimate production. (CIA)
Delivery Methods
BW agents are
nonvolatile solids that would be disseminated either as a liquid slurry or a
dry powder of freeze-dried organisms or toxin. Possible delivery systems range
in complexity and effectiveness from an agricultural sprayer mounted on a truck
to a specialized cluster warhead carried on a ballistic missile. The key to
producing large-scale respiratory infections is to generate an aerosol or
stable cloud of suspended microscopic droplets, each containing from one to
thousands of bacterial or virus particles. Fogs and smokes are examples of
visible aerosols. (CIA)
Anthrax
What
is Anthrax?
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease
caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis.
Anthrax most commonly occurs in
livestock, but can also infect humans.
(Anthrax, contagious disease of
warm-blooded animals, including humans, caused by the bacterium Bacillus
anthracis. One of the oldest known diseases, it was once epidemic and still
appears in many world areas, but only sporadically in the western and southern
United States. It was the first disease for which the causative organism was
isolated, by C. J. Davaine in 1863, for which a pure culture was obtained, by
Robert Koch in 1876, and for which an effective vaccine was developed, by Louis
Pasteur in 1881.
Animals
acquire the disease from drinking water draining from contaminated soil, in
which the infectious bacteria may live for years; from eating infected
carcasses and feedstuffs; and from the bites of bloodsucking insects. The
disease, sometimes manifested by staggering, bloody discharge, convulsions, and
suffocation, may be fatal almost immediately in acute cases and within three to
five days in subacute cases. Death is caused by toxemia. The disease can be
prevented by immunization, and in animals that have not been vaccinated, it can
be treated with antibiotics.
In
humans, the disease appears in both external and internal forms, with a death
rate of about 20 percent. The external or cutaneous form is contracted through
cuts or abrasions in the skin by those who handle infected hides and carcasses
and may be self-limiting, but often disseminates into the bloodstream, with
fever and prostration. The external form is characterized by malignant pustules
on exposed skin areas. The internal type is acquired by inhaling anthrax
spores, as from animal hair and wool, which invade the lungs and sometimes the
intestinal tract to cause hemorrhage. A particularly virulent form of inhaled
anthrax, sometimes called battlefield anthrax, has been developed as a
biological weapon. This anthrax strain is fatal unless the infected person has
been vaccinated or antibiotics are administered within 12 hours (see
Chemical and Biological Warfare). It is speculated that an intestinal variety
may be caused by consuming contaminated meat or milk. Workers exposed to animal
products, especially wool, are protected by vaccination. Penicillin and
tetracyclines are effective in treatment except in rapidly progressing cases.
The
worst outbreak of anthrax occurred in 1979, when a biological weapons plant in
Sverdlovsk, Russia (present-day Yekaterinburg), accidentally released airborne
anthrax spores, killing 66 people. In 1998 American scientists at Los Alamos
National Laboratory used newly developed techniques to determine that the
spores released in the accident contained at least four different strains of
anthrax. This raised concerns that Russia, and possibly other countries, may be
working on a vaccine-resistant form of anthrax for use as a biological weapon.
The United States government had previously planned to vaccinate all American
personnel against anthrax; however, the possibility of genetically engineered
new forms of the disease currently has scientists divided as to the
effectiveness of such a vaccine.)
How
common is anthrax and who can get it?
Anthrax is most common in agricultural
regions where it occurs in animals. Although anthrax can be found globally, it
is more often a risk in countries with less standardized and effective public
health and animal health programs. Areas currently listed as high risk are
South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the
Caribbean, and the Middle East. When anthrax affects humans, it is usually due
to an occupational exposure to infected animals or their products. Workers who
are exposed to dead animals and animal products (industrial anthrax) from other
countries where anthrax is more common may become infected with B. anthracis.
Anthrax in animals rarely occurs in the United States and consequently human
anthrax is rare here.
How
is anthrax transmitted?
Anthrax infection can occur in three forms:
cutaneous (skin), inhalation, and gastrointestinal. Spores of the bacterium B.
anthracis can live in the soil for many years, and livestock can become
infected by grazing on contaminated pasture. Humans can become infected with
anthrax by handling infected animals or animal products or by inhaling anthrax
spores from contaminated animal products. Anthrax can also be spread by eating
undercooked meat from infected animals.
What
are the Symptoms of anthrax?
Symptoms of disease vary depending on how
the disease was contracted, but symptoms usually occur within seven days.
Cutaneous: Most anthrax
infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin, such
as when handling contaminated wool, hides, leather or hair products (especially
goat hair) of infected animals. Skin infection begins as a raised itchy bump
that resembles an insect bite but within 1-2 days the lesion will blister and
then develop into a painless ulcer, usually 1-3 cm in diameter, with a
characteristic black necrotic (dying) area in the center. Lymph glands in the
adjacent area may swell. About 20% of untreated cases of cutaneous anthrax are
fatal. Deaths are rare with appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
Inhalation: Initial symptoms may
resemble a common cold. After several days, the symptoms may progress to severe
breathing problems and shock. Inhalation anthrax usually results in death in
1-2 days after onset of the acute symptoms.
Intestinal: The intestinal
disease form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated meat and is
characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs
of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever are followed by abdominal pain,
vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Intestinal anthrax results in death in
25% to 60% of cases.
Can
anthrax be spread from person-to-person?
Direct person-to-person spread of anthrax
most likely does not occur.
How
is anthrax diagnosed?
Anthrax is diagnosed by isolating B.
anthracis from the blood, skin lesions, or respiratory secretions or by
measuring specific antibodies in the blood of suspected cases.
What
is the treatment for anthrax?
Doctors can prescribe effective
antibiotics. Usually penicillin is preferred, but erythromycin, tetracycline,
or chloramphenicol can also be used. To be effective, treatment should be
initiated early. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.
Is
there an anthrax vaccine for humans?
There is currently one anthrax vaccine
for humans licensed for use in the United States. Because anthrax is considered
to be a potential agent for use in biological warfare, the Department of
Defense recently announced that it will begin systematic vaccination of all
U.S. military personnel. Among civilians, anthrax vaccine is recommended for
individuals who come in contact in the workplace with imported animal hides,
furs, bonemeal, wool, animal hair (especially goat hair), and bristles; and for
individuals engaged in diagnostic or investigational activities which may bring
them into contact with anthrax spores. The vaccine should only be administered
to healthy men and women from 18 to 65 years of age. Because it is not known
whether the anthrax vaccine can cause fetal harm, pregnant women should not be
vaccinated. The vaccine is reported to be 93% effective in protecting against
cutaneous anthrax. Anthrax vaccines intended for use in animals should not be
used in humans.
What
is the protocol for anthrax vaccination?
The immunization consists of three
subcutaneous injections given two weeks apart followed by three additional subcutaneous
injections given at 6, 12, and 18 months. Annual booster injections of the
vaccine are required to maintain immunity.
Are
there adverse reactions to the anthrax vaccine?
Reactions occur in 30% of recipients and
consist of slight tenderness and redness at the injection site. A moderate
local reaction can occur if the vaccine is given to anyone with a past history
of anthrax infection. Severe local reactions are very infrequent and consist of
extensive swelling of the forearm in addition to the local reaction. Systemic
reactions occur in fewer than 0.2% of recipients and are characterized by
flu-like symptoms.
Started with the conquistadors bringing it up from Spain in the
1700s. These men gave it to the American Indians. In 100 years it killed off
ninety percent of the American Indians. The virus is the longest lived human
pathogen in history with cases dating back 2000 years. Some medical historians
believe that Ramses V, the Egyptian pharoah who died in 1157 B.C. may have had
pock marks on his mummified face.
(Smallpox, acute, highly contagious viral disease that is often fatal.
Once considered a fairly prevalent disease that developed in epidemics around
the world, smallpox now appears to have been completely eradicated.
The smallpox virus is
transmitted through droplets discharged from the mouth and nose of an infected
person that are inhaled by another person. Onset of the first phase of smallpox
infection occurs after a 12-day incubation period following infection. This phase
is marked by high fever, prostration, back and muscle pain, and sometimes
vomiting. A characteristic rash develops two to five days later on the face,
the palms, and the soles of the feet. During the next six to ten days the rash
develops into pustular (pus-filled) pimples. In extreme cases the
pustular pimples run together, which usually indicates a lethal infection of
the virus. The return of fever and related symptoms initiates the second stage
of disease, during which the pustules may become secondarily infected by
bacteria. As recovery begins, the pustules become crusted, often leaving scars,
and the fever and related symptoms subside. Death is caused by infection of the
lungs, heart, or brain. Blindness and male infertility are possible side effects
of smallpox among survivors. A person with smallpox is infectious from about
the third day through the erupting phase. Survivors usually experience
long-term immunity to the disease.
In 1967 the United
Nations World Health Organization (WHO) launched a worldwide vaccination
campaign against smallpox. At the time, about 10 to 15 million cases of the
disease occurred each year, with more than 2 million deaths. By mid-1975 when
all India was declared free of smallpox, only a few cases were left in two countries,
Bangladesh and Ethiopia. In 1979, after two years without a reported case of
smallpox, the WHO marked the disappearance of smallpox from the earth. It
recommended that countries stop vaccinating against smallpox and that
laboratory stocks of the virus be destroyed. Underlining the importance of the
latter request was the death of an English woman in 1979 from smallpox
contracted in a laboratory while working with the virus.
Stocks of the virus now
exist only at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta,
Georgia, and the Russian State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology in
Koltsovo, Russian Federation. In 1996, the WHO initially resolved to destroy
the remaining stocks of smallpox virus on June 30,1999. But in May 1999, the
WHO decided to temporarily postpone destruction of the virus until at least the
year 2002. This delay is intended to foster continued research into antiviral
agents, improved vaccines, as well as the natural and synthetic permutations of
the smallpox virus that may cause the disease's unexpected revival.)
There was one treatment known as Variolation, which the European
healers used fluid from a small pox pustle scratching it into a healthy
person's skin. This would cause a low-grade small pox infection. This was not
fatal. There immune system would build up preventing them from receiving the
deadly end of the small pox disease. Edward Jenner was the person who
discovered the vaccine. These days there is no known cases of small pox. It is "extinct"
What
is Plague?
Plague is
caused by a bacteria, Yersinia pestis, which is carried by fleas that
feed on infected rodents. Human plague is very rare, but when a person does get
plague, it usually occurs during summer months, when people are active outdoors
and flea activity is greatest.
Who
gets plague?
Anyone can get
plague. However, people in occupations such as laboratory work, geology, or
biology may have more contact with infected rodents and fleas. Young people
under the age of 20 also seem to have a greater risk. Possible reasons for
plague in young people may be:
How
is plague spread?
The most common
source of plague in humans has been the bite of infected fleas. Other sources
include the handling of tissues of infected animals, especially rodents and
rabbits. Domestic pets, particularly house cats, may carry plague-infected
fleas into homes and occasionally transmit infection by their bites or
scratches. Occasionally, cats or humans infected with plague pharyngitis or
pneumonia may spread plague in airborne droplets. Careless handling of
laboratory cultures can also result in plague.
What
are the symptoms of plague?
Plague appears
in man in one of three forms. Bubonic plague is the most common. Septicemic
plague is the second form and occurs when the bacterium enters the blood
stream. The third form is pneumonic plague, which occurs when infection moves
to the lungs.
Symptoms of
bubonic plague include high fever, chills, severe malaise, headaches, delirium,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coma, and death, if not diagnosed. The most
distinctive symptom is swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, or
neck. The swollen lymph nodes are called buboes. These become painful,
pus-filled, and may rupture and ooze fluid.
Symptoms of
septicemic plague are similar to bubonic, only without an increase in the size
of the lymph nodes. This form can be serious because it can be difficult to
diagnose. Symptoms of pneumonic plague include cough, bloody sputum, high
fever, and chills. Any form of plague can be fatal if not treated. Septicemic
and pneumonic plague are more often fatal than bubonic because they are harder
to recognize. Fortunately, these types of plague are less common.
How
soon after infection do symptoms appear?
Symptoms
usually start two to six days after exposure for bubonic plague and two to four
days after exposure for pneumonic plague.
What
is the treatment for plague?
Streptomycin is
the drug of choice. Tetracycline or chloramphenicol are also effective.
Tetracycline should not be given to children under age nine.
How
can plague be prevented?
Where
can I get more information?
|
|
Your personal doctor |
|
|
Your local health department, listed in the telephone directory |
|
|
|
Info on Plague
Supplied By:
UTAH DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH
BUREAU OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
August 2001
Chemical Threats
A United
Nations report from 1969 defines chemical warfare agents as "... chemical
substances, whether gaseous, liquid or solid, which might be employed because
of their direct toxic effects on man, animals and plants..."
The Chemical
Weapons Convention defines chemical weapons as including not only toxic chemicals
but also ammunition and equipment for their dispersal. Toxic chemicals are
stated to be " ... any chemical which, through its chemical effect on
living processes, may cause death, temporary loss of performance, or permanent
injury to people and animals". Plants are not mentioned in this context. (OPCW)
Types of Agents
Choking
agents
are the oldest CW agents. This class includes chlorine and phosgene, first used
in World War I. These agents have a corrosive effect on the respiratory system
that causes the lungs to fill with water and choke the victim. These agents are
delivered as heavy gases that remain near ground level and tend to fill
depressions. They dissipate rapidly in a breeze and are among the least
effective traditional CW agents.
Blood agents are absorbed into the body primarily by breathing; they
prevent the normal utilization of oxygen by the cells and cause rapid damage to
body tissues. This class includes cyanide and cyanogen chloride. They are
highly volatile and in a gaseous state dissipate rapidly in air. These agents
are most effective when delivered in a surprise attack.
Blister agents are used to cause medical casualties; they affect the
eyes and lungs and blister the skin. Such agents are simple to produce, and
include sulfur mustard, nitrogen mustard, and lewisite. Sulfur mustard is
considered by some as the ideal CW agent. It presents both a respiratory and a
percutaneous (skin) hazard, forcing personnel to wear masks and protective
clothing. It is persistent and presents a long-term hazard, forcing
decontamination of the battlefield.
G-series nerve agents, developed in the 1930s, cause paralysis of the
respiratory musculature and subsequent death, in sufficient concentration. They
include tabun, sarin, soman, and GF. These agents act rapidly and may be
absorbed through the skin or the respiratory tract. Some agents, such as tabun
and sarin, tend to be relatively nonpersistent, creating a short-term
respiratory hazard on the battlefield.
V-series nerve agents, developed in the 1950s, are similar to, but more
advanced than, G-series agents. This class includes VE, VG, VM, VS, and VX.
These agents are more toxic and more persistent than the G-agents and present a
greater skin hazard. They are used for long-term contamination of territory. (CIA)
Production of Agents
Many CW agents,
particularly choking, blood, and blister agents, are relatively easy to
produce. Some of their technologies are more than 80 years old, making them
accessible by virtually any Third World country and many terrorist groups.
Newer agents, particularly nerve agents, are somewhat more difficult to
produce. However, much of the technology to produce these agents is widely
available in the public domain and, as demonstrated by the Aum Shinrikyo in
Japan, these agents can be produced by a determined terrorist group.
Production of
CW agents is similar to that of legitimate commercial compounds. Both involve
use of standard chemical process equipment. Some of the more sophisticated
equipment is distinctive enough to warrant special consideration, and some of
this equipment is controlled by the Australia Group. In particular, equipment
that is exceptionally resistant to corrosion has important applications for CW
because of the highly corrosive compounds encountered in CW agent production. (CIA)
Delivery Methods
Development of
a dispersal device is somewhat more technologically complex than the production
of chemical agents. Many conventional munitions, such as bombs, artillery shells,
grenades, and mines, can be modified to deliver chemical agents. A spray tank,
commercially available for dissemination of agricultural chemicals from
aircraft, can be used to disseminate chemical agents. Similarly, ground-based
aerosol generators used to disseminate pesticides can be used for CW purposes.
(CIA)
