Terrorist Use of Chemical or Biological Agents - Essay Example

Running Head: Terrorist Use of Chemical or Biological Agents Terrorist Use of Chemical or Biological Agents [Institute’s Terrorist Use of Chemical or Biological Agents Introduction Since few decades, a rapid increment has been observed in terrorist activities, resulting in a number of efforts and researches carried out to understand the nature and impact of different types of terrorism. In this regard, weapons of mass destruction are considered the major means of terrorizing in different parts of the globe. However, it is noted that studies have focused mainly on nuclear terrorism that is considered the major type of WMD. However, recent researches are now focusing on two other types of terrorism that are done with the help of chemical and biological agents respectively, as it is very imperative that awareness should be given to general public, as well as, experts, in order to tackle the issue and threats more effectively. Experts have traced back the utilization of biological agents and chemical agents for terrorism and warfare to 14th and 15th century correspondingly, where such weapons were used to attack nations and societies. Use of biological agents can be traced back to 18th century, when Native Americans were defeated by utilization of such agents by French and British forces that resulted in smallpox disease in the region. Another example of biological weapons can be taken from World War I, when armed forces of enemies were weakened by blowing of chlorine by German forces. It is agreed that although damage is caused by all types of weapons; however, one of the hazardous characteristics of chemical and biological weaponry is its broad extent of damage that may result in huge loss in terms of demographics. It is noted that various strategies have been used by terrorist to use biological and chemical agents, which will be discussed in this paper. However, one of the drawbacks is that less research has created confusions in distinction between the two types of agents, which is very imperative to tackle the threat in an efficient manner. A major form of biological and chemical terrorism is Agroterrorism or bioterrorism that focuses on crops and food industry to carry out terrorist activities. (Schaad, 1999) In specific, bacteria or toxins from living organisms are use intentionally to threaten or cause damage by the production of diseases in humans directly, or plants and animals that cause deaths and damages indirectly. Chemical Agents Now the paper will focus mainly on utilization of chemical agents for terrorism, which will be followed by discussion on biological agents. As earlier mentioned in the paper, intentional use of agents for causing damage is termed as a kind of terrorism. In this regard, such use of toxic and poisonous chemical agents that may cause deaths or loss is termed as chemical warfare. An example of utilization of chemical agents for terrorism is that hundreds of grapevine trees in Palestinian region were destroyed by chemical spray by Israeli settlers. In this incident, more than 17,000 metric tons of grapes were destroyed in this terrorist attack. (CNS, 2009) As compared to biological agents, chemical agents are not much toxic; however, they are enough to kill or cause damage in a region. One of the advantages of using chemical agents is that they are quite cheaper, as compared with biological agents; however, chemical agents are far more difficult in terms of their application for terrorist purposes. Nerve agents are considered the most dangerous type of chemical agents that have resulted in various deaths, and have the capacity to cause damage in seconds. One of the efficient characteristics of such agents is their odorless and tasteless features that cause hindrance in their identification. According to experts, vital bodily functions are interrupted and terminated in minutes by nerve agents. Some of the other types of chemical agents used for terrorism purpose are blistering agents, choking agents, and blood agents. One of the other examples of chemical terrorism is attack on Tokyo subway that killed five Japanese people and injured more than five thousand people due to release of a nerve gas agent, Sarin. (Monke, 2005) Biological Agents In biological warfare, biological agents are extracted from microorganisms, such as protozoa, fungi, etc, as well as, from plants and animals. It is noted that terrorists have caused major damages with the utilization of biological agents. Some of the effects of bioterrorism are anthrax, parrot fever, undulant fever, ricin, hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, etc. (Casagrande, 2000) In some of the cases, bioterrorism caused yellow fever, tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria, etc. In June 2000, agricultural fields in Khadder village of Palestinian region were destroyed by release of sewerage water by Israelis that caused damages of over five thousand dollars. (CNS, 2009) A number of similar cases have been reported in different parts of the globe that has resulted in major focus on Agroterrorism. (Moats, 2007) Experts have specified that extreme-toxic characteristic of biological agents is the major cause of its significance in terrorism. In specific, only 20,000 pounds of biological agents are enough to kill approximately sixty million Americans in the United States. In biological terrorism, botulinal toxin of type-A is considered the most lethal biological substance that is capable of killing thousands of people with usage of only some tenths of its microgram. (Katz, 2005) Some other experts have indicated that another biological agent; one gram of typhoid culture in a water supply may cause similar damage that can be resulted by using forty pounds of potassium cyanide. In this regard, biological agents play a crucial role in deaths and causing damages that are some of the major purposes of terrorism. Conclusion One of the advantages of chemical or biological agents is that they just require dispersion of air or supply of water, as well as, surfaces that are used by humans physically. Although experts have argued over the possibility of carrying out a biological or chemical attack; however, for some, opening of only a container may result in discussed damages and killings. Historically, chemical and biological agents have not received much attention in terms of their capacity to be used as terrorist agents. As discussed, various efforts and researches are being carried out to analyze and identify factors that may promote biological and chemical terrorism in the United States, as well as, other parts of the globe. Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of terrorist utilization of chemical or biological agents in different parts of the globe. It is hoped that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the topic. References Casagrande, Rocco. (2000). “Biological Terrorism Directed at US Agriculture.” The Nonproliferation Review. Harvard University Press. CNS. (2009). “Chronology of CBW Incidents Targeting Agriculture 1915-2008.” Chemical & Biological Weapons Resource Page. Retrieved on May 10, 2009: http://cns.miis.edu/cbw/agchron.htm Katz, Linda B. (2005). Agroterrorism. Nova Science Publishers. Moats, Jason B. (2007). Agroterrorism. Texas A&M University Press. Monke, James. (2005). Agroterrorism. University Press of the Pacific. Schaad, N. W. (1999). “Crop Biosecurity.” Plant Pathology Online. Retrieved on May 10, 2009: http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/BioSecurity/Top.html Word Count: 1065 Words Read More