Chemical and Biological Warfare

1950 - Korean War begins; North Korea and China accuse U.S. of germ warfare--charges still not proven. San Francisco disease outbreak matching Army bacteria used on city.

1951 - African-Americans exposed to potentially fatal stimulant in Virginia test of race-specific fungal weapons.

1961 - Kennedy Administration begins hike of chemical weapons spending from $75 million to more than $330 million.

1971- U.S. ends direct use of herbicides such as Agent Orange; had spread over Indochinese forests, and destroyed at least six percent of South Vietnamese cropland, enough to feed 600,000 people for a year.

1984 - U.N. confirms Iraq using mustard and nerve gasses against Iranian "human wave" attacks in border war

1987 - Senate ties in three votes on resuming production of chemical weapons; Vice President Bush breaks all three ties in favor of resumption.

1989 - Paris conference of 149 nations condemns chemical weapons, urges quick ban to emerge from Geneva treaty negotiations; U.S. revealed to plan poison gas production even after treaty signed.

1991 - U.S. and Coalition forces bomb at least 28 alleged bio- chemical production or storage sites in Iraq during Gulf War, including fertilizer and other civilian plants. CNN reports "green flames" from one chemical plant, and the deaths of 50 Iraqi troops from anthrax after air strike on another site.

1992 - Reports intensify of U.S. and Allied veterans of Gulf War developing health problems, involving a variety of symptoms, collectively called Gulf War Syndrome.

1995 - Japanese cult launches deadly sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo subway system.

1998-99 - Series of anthrax hoaxes against U.S. targets, such as NBC, Washington Post, State Department, White House complex. post offices.

2001 - In the wake of the September 11 attacks, anthrax spores sent by mail to multiple political and media targets around the U.S., resulting in anthrax exposures, infections and deaths.

Biological Weapons - encompass pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that cause diseases and toxins that are derived from organisms such as plants, snakes, and insects. Anthrax and smallpox are examples of pathogens. An example of a toxin is ricin, which is derived from the seed of the castor bean. (Britannica.com)

Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis) - Originally discovered by Robert Koch in 1877. Primarily a disease of both wild and domestic animals such as cows, sheep, and horses, humans originally contracted Anthrax through contact with infected animals. Though infection is rare, occurring roughly 1/100,000, in the United States there are recognized areas of infection in South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and California.

The most common form of Anthrax infection is referred to as "cutaneous" meaning skin contact. A scrape, cut, or open wound coming in contact with the anthrax bacteria becomes infected and creates a swelling boil full of more spores of the bacteria. When the sore ruptures, the spores are spread over the skin and the previous area of infection is covered with a black lesions.

Anthrax itself was not known to be a toxigenic substance until 1954. One component of the anthrax toxin has a lethal mode of action that is not understood at this time. Death is apparently due to oxygen depletion, secondary shock, increased vascular permeability, respiratory failure and cardiac failure. Death from anthrax in humans or animals frequently occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. The level of the lethal toxin in the circulation increases rapidly quite late in the disease, and it closely parallels the concentration of organisms in the blood.

Ricin - A by product of processing Castor beans, ricin can be made or obtained quite easily in many parts of the world. It can be put into the form of a powder, mist, or pellet, or dissolved into water or weak acid. Ricin is occasionally used when dealing with bone marrow transplants and cancer treatment.

Accidental exposure to ricin is rare and it is understood that it must be a deliberate act of usage if trying to administer a lethal dose. Ricin can enter the body either through inhalation, ingestion, or injection. And it requires as little as 500-miligrams of ricin (which would fit on the head of a pin) to kill someone. Ricin is not a contagion and cannot be spread after initial contact.

Ricin is lethal through its effect upon cells, inhibiting their ability to produce the necessary proteins to survive, the eventual death of millions of cells becomes lethal to the body. Specific symptoms vary based on the form of contact.

Inhalation: Within a few hours of inhaling significant amounts of ricin, the likely symptoms would be respiratory distress (difficulty breathing), fever, cough, nausea, and tightness in the chest. Heavy sweating may follow as well as fluid building up in the lungs (pulmonary edema). This would make breathing even more difficult, and the skin might turn blue. Excess fluid in the lungs would be diagnosed by x-ray or by listening to the chest with a stethoscope. Finally, low blood pressure and respiratory failure may occur, leading to death. In cases of known exposure to ricin, people having respiratory symptoms that started within 12 hours of inhaling ricin should seek medical care. (Center for Disease Control)
Ingestion: If someone swallows a significant amount of ricin, he or she would develop vomiting and diarrhea that may become bloody. Severe dehydration may be the result, followed by low blood pressure. Other signs or symptoms may include hallucinations, seizures, and blood in the urine. Within several days, the person’s liver, spleen, and kidneys might stop working, and the person could die (Center for Disease Control)

Chemical Weapons - include those that deliver compounds which cause either severe weeping or tearing at the eyes (lacrimators) or extreme discomfort or sickness (nauseators). The three most commonly used chemicals are known by the initials CN (Chloroacetophenone) and CS (Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile), both lacrimators, and DM (Adamsite), a nauseator. (Britannica.com)

Agent Orange - A codename for an herbicide used for military defoliate purposes in tropical climates, it was originally created in the 194-'s, but was not in serious military use until the 1960's, most notably during the Vietnam conflict.

Agent Orange was a 50-50 mix of two chemicals, known conventionally as 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T. The combined product was mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft, vehicle, and hand spraying. An estimated 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were used in South Vietnam during the war.

Health concerns over Agent Orange are varied due to the nature of the chemical. The chemical itself is difficult to find in the body and very few places around the world have the facilities to do such testing.

Agent Orange contains large amounts of TCDD which is a dioxin. Dioxins are considered to be some of the most dangerous toxins in the world, accounting for a number of diseases, most of which are fatal. Dioxin has been linked specifically to cancer, suppression of the immune system, respiratory conditions, and a number of debilitating birth defects.

The number of American troops exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam conflict is difficult to guess or estimate due to the military's attempts to keep such records classified.

Mustard Gas - Mustard Gas (Yperite) was first used by the German Army in September 1917. The most lethal of all the poisonous chemicals used during the war, it was almost odorless and took twelve hours to take effect. Yperite was so powerful that only small amounts had to be added to high explosive shells to be effective. Once in the soil, mustard gas remained active for several weeks.

The purpose of Mustard Gas was a way for the German army to break down their opponents during the long stints of trench warfare, hoping to eventually wither and demoralize the French lines until the gave up their territory and retreated.

The skin of victims of mustard gas blistered, the eyes became very sore and they began to vomit. Mustard gas caused internal and external bleeding and attacked the bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous membrane. This was extremely painful and most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. It usually took a person four or five weeks to die of mustard gas poisoning.

Deaths during World War I, attributed to Mustard Gas, numbered over 4,000 with over 16,000 non-lethal cases reported.

In The News

At the beginning of November, two men accosted a pilot of a crop duster in Mexico. It is believe by the U.S. government that Al-Qaida has recently been recruiting in and throughout Latin America and may attempt to enter the United States through the U.S.- Mexican border. U.S. officials say that it would be possible for Al-Qaida members to spread toxic substances or deliver nuclear arms via this route and as such the terror alert has recently been raised.

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