Biological Warfare: Should We Be Scared?
An international flight arrives at Logan Airport late on Friday night. One by one the passengers abandon the aircraft, unaware of the suicidal terrorist whom just disembarked. With him he carries an aerosol can containing botulinum toxin, one of the most lethal known substances. As he exits the terminal he slowly releases the gas into the air. Within hours, not long after the dizziness, people began to suffer from paralysis. Hospitals fill, planes crash, the death toll rises.
Such a scenario seems quite fantastic, perhaps something a science fiction writer would publish, but in actuality the situation is far more plausible than many wish to believe. Many choose to dismiss such images to the far reaches of their minds, in doing so fail to contemplate how catastrophic a bombing, such as that of the World Trade Center, could be if it were biological. At present 16 nations, as well as an unknown number of terrorist groups have access to biological weaponry. This is due in part to the collapse of the Soviet Union. If the price is right, many of the formerly employed experts are willing to work for anyone. As the frequency of terrorist bombings increase the question of if a biological bombing will occur is replaced by where and when will it occur?
Now what can be said of these invisible, yet deadly killers? Where are they from? How do they work? What are they? To the common citizen simple question such as these are baffling. Many have heard of the disease small pox, but what of its role in biological weaponry? Out of the minority who is aware of these dangers fewer still have heard agents such as anthrax, botulinum, and ricin. The average American is not aware of danger he lives with every day of his life. Journalism has slowly begun to reveal to the public the shroud, which has covered biological warfare over the past century to the public. The majority of individuals feel scared, powerless, and at the mercy of their government. Why? These drugs can not possibly be as terrifying as they are made out to be? or can they?
Perhaps the most terrifying of these biological agents is also the oldest: smallpox. Intelligence reports indicate that several foreign governments control this agent, including Iraq. Smallpox was at one time one of the worst disease ever to afflict mankind, surpassing cholera, bubonic plague, and yellow fever in not only time span but also in number of victims. Thirty percent of all patients who contract smallpox die a slow miserable death. Luckily the world has ridden itself of the disease through vaccination. People under the age of 25, however, have never been vaccinated. Those who have been long since lost their immunities due to the passage of time. Because it is an air borne agent, an outbreak of smallpox would not simply kill a few individuals, but rather a large number of citizens. The person carrying the disease would be unaware for up to 14 days after contraction, thus unknowingly infecting most everyone whom he encountered. Whole communities would have to be quarantined, something the government has not done in decades, and vaccination would quickly begin. Stockpiles of vaccine for smallpox are low, only three percent of the nation's people would be able to receive a vaccination. Damage caused by an outbreak of smallpox would be devastating. (Spiers 34)
Only now coming into the spotlight is anthrax. Capable of killing its victims within 5 days, anthrax is considered extremely dangerous. Inhalation of a minuscule amount of anthrax can be fatal within 5 days. A single gram of anthrax is capable of inducing 100 million fatal doses. Bacteria, mainly present in livestock produce anthrax. Treatment of anthrax is unusual due to its short life span, but with high does of antibiotics it is curable. Vaccination against anthrax is available, but uncommon. Soldiers at special risk undergo vaccination at high expense. Anthrax is quickly becoming the top choice of many terrorist, as well as foreign governments, for use as their primary weapon of destruction. (Myers A1)
Even though agents such as botulinum and ricin are less common they are still equally deadly, if not more so. Ricin is a toxin derived from castor bean and is deadly in small amounts. It is also capable of being spread by means of an aerosol can or atomizer. The toxin infiltrates the blood stream causing the circulatory system to shut down and the victim to suffer a slow death. Botulinum, one of the most potent of all toxins, is derived from bacteria present in botulism. The agent is incredibly quick, capable of suffocating its victim within 36 hours from the time of exposure. The mortality rate of this particular toxin is incredibly high, because the only means of treatment is an immediate injection of Botulinus antiserum. Although these two agents are unfamiliar to much of the public, experts consider them extremely dangerous. (Stephenson 378)
The weapons are obviously very real, their threat terrifying, but whom possesses such terrible weapons? Intelligence reports indicate that possible 16 countries are capable of producing biological weapons. These countries include China, the former Soviet States, Cuba, Japan, Iran, as well as Iraq. Now, at the close of the Cold War the focus of America's concern no longer lies upon communist countries but rather on the Middle East. Due to the secrecy of such weapons not much is known about foreign stockpiles, but it is believed that the largest lie within the former Soviet States and Iran. During an interview however, when asked which country he believed would use biological agents on the United States first, security guard Raymond Smith commented Iraq. With the present tension in the Middle East this response would not be unexpected. In fact, this response could prove quite true. During routine inspections in Iraq the United Nations has found advanced research facilities studying anthrax, botulinum, and other germ war agents. It does not stop there, not only does Iraq have the germs but also the surface-to-air missiles that would be used to launch them. Obviously the United States has to maintain a strict surveillance on Iraq, but they should also keep its eyes on a variety of other assailants: terrorists. (Desert Storm)
Although few terrorists actually have deployable surface-to-air missiles, there are many alternative ways by which they could infect the general populous. A simple aerosol can, perfume bottle, or even squirt gun could be used by a terrorist to expose individuals to deadly biological agents. Biological weaponry, the poor man's atom bomb, is the perfect candidate for such terrorist use, it is inexpensive, easily concealed, and devastating. Now, as America approaches the end of the twentieth century, she finds herself filling the role of global leader, which also carries the responsibility global policing. Because of her interference in foreign affairs many groups and organization label her as terrible. While Iraq's Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, denies that Iraq would engage in terrorist activities, he also alludes to possible terrorist connections: "There are people in other countries who are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq". More recently Suddam began making more open alliances with highly feared terrorist. As Iraq's weapon stockpiles continue to grow, and their interaction with terrorist increases, the danger of an actual biological threat rises to a horrifying new level. (Tucker 38)
There is no question: The United States has to begin preparing for a biological attack. Defensive missiles already exist that are capable of destroying any incoming threat, given the time. The biggest threat does not come from these foreign missiles, but from the terrorists. The department of defense is obviously always researching new missile defenses, but what is being done about the threat of terrorist attacks? In response to growing public interest, organizations such as the CIA and FBI, as well entire cities have begun preparing for the worst. The Counter Terrorism Center, run by the CIA and FBI, has expanded to round the clock operation. At present, a total of $400 million dollars in federal money is being spent on such counterterror programs alone. Legislation such as the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act is calling upon the government to block assaults on U.S. territories and aid in local efforts. Local efforts are also becoming more serious; as New York City's anti-terrorism drills illustrate. The Army and Marines have both created special task forces trained to respond to a biological emergency. The pentagon has begun working on detectors, masks, filtration systems, and new vaccines to help alleviate the rising fear of biological contamination. Many believe that these procedure are simply not enough, President Clinton, in a recent report to congress, stressed he did not believe that the local authorities are trained properly. In fact, he said "The first police and paramedics on the scene would most likely become casualtities themselves". Most agree, when speaking with Raymond Smith he too reiterated that there are still many holes in our defenses. "Building security is low? the airports are wide open? a terrorist could easily slide through most low type securities". (Santoro 1) What more can be done if America is still vulnerable to attack. Many government officials and business managers soon realize there is a limit as in how much money Americans are willing to pay for higher security measures. Most citizens are unwilling to pay higher prices to live in a city or to ride on public transportation until a catastrophe occurs, and then it will be too late. (Simon 432)
Thought to be one of the safest, Japan has already suffered a chemical attack. On the 20th of March in 1995, the cult Aum Shinrikyo released the nerve gas, sarin, in a crowded subway. 12 people died while more than 5,500 where injured. The low loss of life was mainly attributed to the impure mixture spread by the cult. The same cult responsible for the chemical bombing was also engaged in creating biological agents. If a group such as the Aum Shinrikyo, or a country like Iraq decided to release an agent its path would be unpredictable. Much depends on the weather and the winds when dealing with biological weapons. Water is no longer a barrier for war zone; the microorganisms simply float over it on the winds. The agent would also have the opportunity to mutate. In that case, even those vaccinated against the original virus could be susceptible. If such a mutation occurred the global food chain could also be in jeopardy. The virus may no longer strictly infect humans, it could possibly infect an animal lower on the food chain, resulting in even more devastation. Biological weapons are not simply chemical compounds, they are complex living units. To predict the course of nature would be close to impossible, and by trying to do so while using a biological agent would surely be disastrous.
In an age of high technology, global interaction, and nuclear energy, one would assume the focus would be on saving lives rather than destroying them. When sorting through history one finds human beings would much rather live in the fear of death than in a world of peace. Whether this fear is of nuclear destruction, enemy invasion, biological attack, or simply an idea, mankind has never failed to create a demon of which it must purge itself. It is not plausible to say that within our lifetime we will see an end to this behavior, but we may see a change. As more people interact with each other, tolerance becomes greater, and hate seems to wane. Perhaps the best defense against a biological attack is not to build up our own stockpiles, but rather attempt to understand the enemy. As more people realize that wars are no longer simply disputes between nations, but are strife's between individuals, they will begin to unite. Maybe this is a vision of Utopia, but until that day arrives we must further study the biological agents aimed at us, stand defensively, a hope for a little luck.
Works Cited
Desert Storm/ The War in the Persian Gulf (CD-ROM: Warner New Media, 1991).
Information Paper - Dod Biological Warfare Threat, (06/10/98,http://www.defenselink.mil/other_info/threat.html).
Myers, Steven., U.S. armed forces to be vaccinated against anthrax (New York Times, 12/16/97, Vol. 147 Issue 51008, pA1).
Santoro, Stephen., An Interview with Raymond Smith (03/27/99).
Simon, Jeffrey D., Biological Terrorism (Journal of the American Medical Association, 08/06/97, Vol. 278 Issue 5, p446a).
Spiers, Edward M., Chemical and Biological Weapons: A Study in Proliferation (St. Martin's Press, New York, 1994).
Stephenson, Joan., Pentagon-funded research takes aim at agents of biological warfare (Journal of the American Medical Association, 08/06/97, Vol. 278 Issue 5, p378).
Tucker, Jonathan B., Putting teeth in the biological weapons ban (Technology Review, Jan/Feb98, Vol. 100 Issue 9, p38).