The use of biological agents in bioterrorism is a topic that generates strong reactions and many opinions. While the use of these agents is not new, the increasing level of use in wartime situations is becoming more of a reality. Because biological agents can be relatively cheap to manufacture and can be easily hidden until time to use, they have become a real threat to our world. It is important to understand the history of this form of warfare and identify the most widely used agents so that measures can be taken to find ways to counteract their effects.
Some feel germ warfare is a superior form of combat, while others think the use of bioterrorism is inhumane and should not be considered. After weighing both sides of the pros and cons of this issue, it is clear that while biological agents should not be used as a first form of warfare, it is necessary at times to fight fire with fire. If enemies use bioterrorism first, it should be considered an option of return assault. Some of the first known biological warfare agents date back as far as 600 BC.
Ancient literature from the Persians, Greeks and Romans describe “Scythian archers infected their arrows by dipping them in decomposing bodies or in blood mixed with manure. ” In 12th century AD, decomposing bodies were thrown into water wells to poison enemy soldiers. In 18th century AD, during the French and Indian War, blankets that had been used by Native Americans, suffering from smallpox were used in hopes of spreading the disease. During World War I, the German army used anthrax and cholera, among other biological agents to spread disease to enemy troops.
During World War II, Japanese forces used the plague, anthrax, syphilis and other agents as a human experiment on prisoners of war. In 1942, anthrax and botulinum toxin were investigated by the United States War Research Service to be used as biological agents. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong Army caused severe infections in enemy soldiers by stabbing them with needle-sharp punji sticks dipped in feces. And now, in current day, terrorists are using ricin, anthrax and salmonella as their choice of biological agents.
As it has been stated, there is a long history of biological agents that have been used not only against enemies and prisoners of war, but also in place of hand to hand combat. Bioterrorism agents can be divided into 3 distinct categories. These categories are based on how easily they can be spread and the severity of illness or death they may cause. Category A poses the highest risk to the public and national security. They are easily spread from person to person. There is a high death rate and potential for major public health issues.
These Category A agents require special public health action and preparedness by health officials to be able to handle public exposure. Examples of Category A agents are Anthrax and the plague. Category B agents pose the second highest risk. These agents are moderately easy to spread and cause moderate illness and low death rates. The Center for Disease Control laboratories must have specific enhancements for monitoring exposures and providing possible antidotes or treatment if available. Examples of Category B agents are Q Fever and Brucellosis. The final category of biological agents is Category C agents.
They are the third highest risk of bio terroristic agents. They can be engineered for mass spread and they are easily available and produced. These agents have the potential for high morbidity and mortality rates. Some examples of Category C agents are Yellow Fever and Rabies. Anthrax (bacteria) Bacillus anthracis is the most dangerous biological agent. Inhalation of anthrax spores causes rapid fatality. The phase of the diseases caused by Anthrax usually takes a few days to show signs and symptoms. Flu-like symptoms followed by severe respiratory distress are a few examples of symptoms caused by Anthrax.
Exposure can be treated in its early stages with specific antibiotics. Person-to-person transmission is poor and this infection is not considered contagious. Another Category A biological agent is Plague (bacteria) Yersinia Pestis. Humans usually contract Plague after being bitten by a flea that is carrying the bacteria or by handling a Plague infected animal. There are three different types of Plague, they are. Pneumonic Plague which is spread from person to person through the air. Transmission takes place by breathing in bacteria through aerosol. This is the most used form of transmission for bioterrorism.
The Bubonic Plague is the most common form of Plague. It is contracted when a victim is bitten by a flea or rat. It is not necessarily considered a terrorist attack, unless one was to release those animals into a crowded place. The last form of Plague is Septicemic Plague, it occurs when the plague bacteria multiplies in the blood of the victim. It is not spread from person to person so it’s not too serious of a threat. The last Biological agent is Ricin (protein) Ricinus Communis. Ricin is produced from the seeds of the Castor bean plant. The beans are ground up for their oil and the left over remanence from the bean is Ricin.
Ricin is a carbohydrate-binding protein that affects protein synthesis. Ricin powder the size of a few grains of salt can kill a healthy adult human. Ricin can be turned into an aerosol and inhaled or ingested from poisoned food, contaminated water, or injections. Ricin is a slow acting biological agent, unlike the other, it takes hours or days for ricin to begin shutting down ones protein synthesis which will ultimately end in organ failure. The scary thing about ricin is the fact that “there is no known antidote to ricin poisoning. At least two vaccines against the poison are under development. The future of biological agents is still a little clouded. Although the government is taking strides for improvement nothing much has gone on in recent years. Although “according to biological warfare expert Dr. Steven Block, genetically engineered pathogens’could be made safer to handle, easier to distribute, capable of ethnic specificity, or be made to cause higher mortality rates. ”
Scientists have been talking about wanting to create “novel pathogens” in the future through DNA synthesis. So the question is raised “is the use of biological agents humane, and if so, is it humane to use in warfare? Some pros to the use of biological agents in warfare are that biological agents are extremely efficient. A single gram of biological agent can kill millions of released properly. It is also more efficient to use than chemical or nuclear weapons due to the low cost of producing such agents and the readily available material to be able to grow and produce such agents. The last pro is that in a case of war, the use of agents can end a war very quickly. Some cons against the use of agents are the unpredictable nature of the agents.
It is used to kill many people in a short period of time which can be argued to be very inhumane. Also because of its unpredictable nature it is very difficult to contain agents once they are released into society. If the use of agents were to be legal in army, navy etc. bases, it has been reported of troops using it on own troops which creates nothing but problems for everyone. Another con for the use of agents is that once released the agents can live for long periods of time (some more than fifty years in the soil) and that produces more unwanted effects, such as loss of livestock lives, ans loss of plant life.
The last con is that it is never one hundred percent effective, when armies disperse agents they are never in the clear. They are also at risk of becoming infected and possibly losing their lives along with enemy lives. The ethical stance taken by the writer is that they are against the use of biological agents in bio terrorism, but if in a war situation and a biochemical agent is used on America, the writer believes it is ethical to use a biochemical agent in retaliation.
The writer believes the government should continue to try and makes the bio weapons more containable and more predictable before being used in combat situations, and so that the loss of innocent lives decreases by a substantial amount. Ultimately the writer believes that biological agents should not be used in warfare and that it is inhumane to do so. Because of their unpredictable nature it is not worth the risk to use such agents in warfare. Until there is better research to reverse the lethal effects of the biological agents, governments worldwide should not sue them in warfare.
