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Biological Agent Essay

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Biological agents are easy to develop as weapons. They are more lethal than chemical weapons, less expensive and more difficult to detect than nuclear weapons. Biological agents are microorganisms that are found in nature, but there is a possibility to modify these organisms to increase their virulence, make them resistant to current antibiotics or vaccines, or to enhance the ability to be disseminated into the environment. Biological agents are attractive alternative to conventional weapons because of their relatively low costs, their relative accessibility, and the relative ease in which they could be produced, delivered, and avoid detection. Their use, or even threatened use, is potentially capable of producing widespread social disruption. …show more content…

Human to human transmission is extremely rare and reported only with cutaneous anthrax. When the animal dies due to anthrax, the animal carcasses become infectious, and when the animal decomposes, the spores can again mix with the soil and the transmission cycle continues. The bacterium often penetrates the body via wounds in the skin and may also infect humans as aerosol or ingestion. The ability of sporulation and resistance of the spores to harsh environmental conditions like heat and humidity, disinfectants and UV radiation makes anthrax the most important biological warfare agent. It is reported that the spores can survive up to 40 years in water or soil. Antibiotic prophylaxis Anthrax can be treated in its earliest stages with penicillin (often delivered intravenously), tetracycline, ciprofloxacin or doxycycline. Evidence of antibiotic effectiveness comes from use in human and animals infected with Bacillus anthracis. Antibiotics related to ciprofloxacin including chloramphenicol, erythromycin and some cephalosporins were also found to be effective. The antibiotic treatment is highly effective in early stage of the disease and becomes largely ineffective in later stages with severe complications. Attenuated spore based vaccine is available for use in animals

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In The book “The Demon In the Freezer” by Richard Preston is a bioterrorism theme, in particular about humanity up against smallpox. Preston expands upon the theme by giving a detailed narrative about the hardship and struggle forced upon the government and its public. In many instances, Preston uses the rhetorical appeal in logos to reinforce this paranoia and fear behind the biological weapon agents smallpox and anthrax to remind us all how destructive and gruesome its effects can be individuals. Preston also describes the hypothetical spread of smallpox and uses reasoning to enforce his purpose in order make us critically think about these alarming outcomes of this theoretical bioterrorism. For instance,“Most experts believe that the multiplier of smallpox in the modern world – a world of shopping malls, urban centers, busy international airports, tourism, cities and nations with highly mobile populations, and above all nearly no immunity to smallpox- would be somewhere between three and twenty.

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Anth. 105 Human Species – Lab 4 Report Rumaysa Sharif 05/14/18 Introduction Primates, apes and humans all have varying body masses, brain sizes and life spans. One species may have a longer life span or a larger brain than the other.

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When this agent has been unleashed into a highly populated area with personnel it can lead to major chaos trophic event with many casualties and injured personnel. Past history events have supported the fact that the use of sarin is a highly toxic agent to unleash into society CBRN Agent background “GB is a first generation nerve agent that was identified in 1938 as a potential chemical agent

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An act of attacking with a Chemicl agent is typically from an aerosal type or disseminating the agent into other avenues of contact. However, for this particular scenario, a Chemical-Biological Agent will be used in the rare form of being part of an explosive. The particular chemical agent in reference will be petroleum-contaminated water.

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In the autumn of 1918, the virus entered the United States through a variety of sources according to different theories. Many feared a German drug company had laced Aspirin, one of the most commonly used drugs, with this virus. The need for medications like Aspirin to supply soldiers and families during wartime led credence to this theory because of how quickly it spread. Another idea stated that German U-Boats entered the Boston Harbor at night and broke vials of the disease throughout the city. Because of Americans conflict with the Germans in World War I, the American people feared the use of chemical warfare as a weapon of mass destruction.

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Chemical weapons have some “immediate effects of chlorine gas toxicity include acute inflammation of the conjunctiva, nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Irritation of the airway mucosa leads to local edema secondary to active arterial and capillary hyperemia. Blistering gas is another form of chemical weapon” (OPCW, Sheet 4). It was “first tested in combat in 1917 by Germany and {has} been used in several conflicts since” (OPCW, sheet 4). This Chemical agent is “primarily dispersed in liquid or vapour (aerosol) form and may persist for days” (OPCW, Sheet 4).

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Assignment: Prewriting Activities You will submit your prewriting documents for the character analysis essay. Submit your completed brainstorming and outline graphic organizers. The brainstorming graphic organizer should be complete and show evidence that you have considered several characters and their characteristics for your essay. The outline graphic organizer should demonstrate a plan for writing and include appropriate and sufficient textual support. Character Analysis Outline Pattern of organization I will use: Logical Order

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A very controversial topic of discussion today involves the difference between the biological and social view of race. The biological view sees a population according to traits that are passed down biologically, this is where the term “race” comes from. It would be somewhat accurate to say that people from different parts of the world have some differences biologically. The issue in this argument is found when people see that there may be some differences biologically but try to segregate them into fixed categories. What is found by this is that by assessing this biology and peoples' appearance, you can categorize them into a specific race.

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The particular weapon or better yet biological microorganism that I have chosen to outline this week is that of a particularly nasty strain of disease which has wiped out an unknown multitude of people throughout history. This infectious disease, known as the genus Orthopoxvirus, from the the family Poxviridae and subfamily of chordopoxvirinae, is potentially believed to have laid to waste whole civilizations of people. It also goes by the name “Red Plague”, or in more common parlance, “The Smallpox Virus.” Historically, this virus made its way to Europe sometime between the 5th and 7th centuries. According to Reidel (2005), “It was frequently epidemic during the Middle Ages.

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Smallpox is a highly contagious and fatal disease that had a huge impact on the human population. It is thought to have been originated from India or Egypt at least 3,000 years ago. Smallpox is caused by two variations of the variola virus, variola major and variola minor. Variola major is the most common form of smallpox. It enters the body through the lungs and is carried to the internal organs.

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“Biological Weapons” states that “When compared to the cost of a nuclear weapons program, biological weapons are extremely cheap. It is estimated that 1 gram of toxin could kill 10 million people” (n.pag.) Biological warfare is considered by some to be as deadly as the atomic bomb (Bell n.pag.). While biological warfare does infect humans, it also infects agriculture and livestock, which adds to the devastating effects of an attack. An attack aimed at agriculture and livestock could result in a slow, steady, or fast pace spreading virus resulting in an explosive epidemic (“Welcome to…” n.pag.).

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Mad cow disease is a rare but deadly disease that is obtained by cows from contamination feeding or activation of prions. Once this disease spreads to human, the situation gets about ten times worse. The human version of BSE (Mad cow disease) is called vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). This disease destroys the brain and will kill you if you leave it alone. You can get vCJD just by eating beef from a cow that had the disease.

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CHEMICAL WEAPONS Chemical weapon is a device that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on human beings. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons states: “The term chemical weapon may also be applied to any toxic chemical or its precursor that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action. Munitions or other delivery devices designed to deliver chemical weapons, whether filled or unfilled, are also considered weapons themselves.” Under the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993), there is a legally binding, world-wide ban on the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. Not with standing, large stockpiles there of continue to

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These diseases can range from a common flu to a serious disease causing death. The Biological weapons also affect other living organisms. Types of Biological weapons There are 3 types of Biological agents that can be weaponized, these 5 agents differ in strength and effect. • Bacterial agents: single cell organisms that cause diseases such as tularemia, plague and anthrax –which is considered the deadliest bacterial agents as it can cause death in 24-36 hours and it easily

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Pesticides likewise are utilized to execute life forms that can result in infections. Most pesticides contain chemicals that can be destructive to

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