According to many accounts, Rajneeshpuram was an illegally incorporated city set up in Oregon by a religious group who nearly overtook the county government by twisting the laws of the United States to suit their own ends. Tensions between the Ranjeeshees and the local communities continued to rise as the locale of Antelope, OR was briefly renamed Ranjeesh when the influx of new people moved into the area, registered to vote, and held a referendum on the matter (Hillow, 1995). After this, other local communities realized there may be a larger issue at hand but could not have foreseen the actions that would be taken by a select few. One of the largest biological incidents in America took place in The Dalles.
The CBRN threat present in this scenario was salmonella. Ranjeesh’s secretary, Sheela, took no measures to deescalate the conflict between Rajneesshpuram and the rest of the county communities, but instead took a tone that enhanced discontent on all sides (Hillow, 1995). With no notice, Sheela fled the country and a criminal investigation ensued. Eventually she was charged with the deliberate use of salmonella to infect salad bars in The Dalles which resulted in
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Even considering the fact that this organism generally causes sickness vice death, it may still be used to make a political point by a group or an individual committed to causing purely economic damage vice gathering a large death toll. Any organism as common as this will remain a threat until such time comes as people no longer need to eat, which is unlikely to ever occur. The USDA is looking for additional ways to improve food safety in regards to salmonella (Mayo Clinic, 2014) and with continued research will likely be able to further mitigate any hazard