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SAFE Citizen Brief #2: Biological Weapons Threats Citizen Briefing
 Biological Weapons Technology
What are Biological Agents?
- Biological Agents are microorganisms, or toxins derived from them, which cause disease in humans, animals or plants, or which cause the deterioration of material.
- Biological agents are naturally occurring microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) or toxins.
- Agents can cause disease and death in a target population.
- Agents can also attack the food supply and/or materiel of a nation.
- Most biological weapons consist of living organisms (toxins are the exception) and, thus, can replicate once disseminated.
Can Biological Agents easily be made into weapons?
- Yes. A nation, sub-national group, or organization, or even an individual, determined to construct a biological weapon and release the agent can, with minimal financial resources and infrastructure, produce an effective weapon.
- Small amounts of biological material are sufficient because of the reproductive nature of microorganisms.
- All equipment used to produce biological agents is 'dual use' (i.e. required for legitimate commercial, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and food production purposes).
Why are Biological Agents seen as useful weapons?
- Biological weapons (BW) which project, disperse, or disseminate biological agents have two characteristics that enhance their effectiveness as weapons:
- Biological agents, other than toxins, reproduce and, therefore, a small amount of infectious agent can cause disease;
- Biological agents, other than toxins, usually require an incubation period of hours to days to manifest signs of exposure in victims.
- In warfare, biological weapons are 'force multipliers.'
Without resort to use of traditional military forces, a relatively small group could bring about the infection of a large percentage of targeted persons, rendering the larger force ineffective for battle. - As a terrorist weapon, BW agents strike silently and can cause panic and disruption of civil populations.
In general, populations are less prepared and more vulnerable to BW attacks than military units, which can take individual and unit BW defensive measures.
As a result of this greater exposure and vulnerability, civilians are more likely to panic.
How do Biological Weapons differ from Chemical or Nuclear Weapons?
- Biological weapons are relatively inexpensive to produce, as opposed to a nuclear or even a chemical weapon. Because biological agents reproduce, only small amounts of a starter organism are needed.
- Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) require the purchase of large amounts of chemical precursor or of fissile material to make a weapon.
- BW and CW weapons effects are largely on people and can be widespread without physical destruction like nuclear weapons.
- BW weapons effects are more widespread and lasting than chemical attacks, which are more localized, and temporary.
- The self-generation of the biological agent is a unique element of this WMD.
What are some unique characteristics of Biological Weapons?
- Biological weapons are unique because they are made up of pathogenic organisms that can reproduce and cause infection (and death) in a large number of hosts.
- It takes hours to days for symptoms of exposure to appear, thus disguising the original point of attack.
- Because equipment used to produce biological agents is dual use, a BW producer can claim peaceful intentions while actually developing deadly weapons.
What are the necessary steps to produce Biological Weapons?
Biological weapons production can be divided into three distinct phases:
- Biological agent production
- Stabilization, and
- Dissemination/dispersion.
Biological Agent Production
How are Biological Weapons produced?
- The stages involved in the production of biological agents include:
- Selection of the organisms,
- Large-scale production of organisms from small starter cultures, and
- Stabilization of the organisms prior to delivery or dispersal.
- Biological weapon production is similar to commercial production of biological materials.
- With the exception of toxins, biological organisms can multiply.
- Design of the plant can indicate covert biological agent production.
- Containment of the biological material during processing is of special interest.
- There is a clear distinction between processing materials for biological or toxin agent weaponization and peaceful purposes.
- Biotechnology industries are concerned with protecting the purity and quality of the product.
- By contrast, an unpurified biological agent used in Biological Warfare is generally more stable than the purified agent that is needed to produce vaccines.
- Consequently, a BW proliferator does not require a high level of purity if production is for BW use only.
 Biological Material Stabilzation, Dissemination, and Dispersion
Why is a 'stable process' required for Biological Weapons production?
- Stabilization is critical because of the susceptibility of the biological agents to environmental degradation, not only in storage but also in dissemination.
- Many toxic organisms are subject to destruction by external forces (e.g., sunlight, heat, explosives).
- Any country having pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or advanced food storage industries will have stabilization facilities similar to those that could be used for biological weapons.
- Stabilization techniques include freeze drying and ultra freezing, and various techniques of dissemination/dispersion, such as spray devices, cluster bombs, etc.
How are Biological Weapons disseminated and dispersed?
- Dissemination and dispersion are key to the effective employment of biological weapons.
- Dissemination (delivery) of biological agents in biological warfare has been traditionally accomplished by aerosol dispersal using either spray devices or through incorporation of the agents with explosive devices:
- Cluster bombs dropped by aircraft, or
- Missile warheads with submunitions designed for extended biological agent dispersal.
- However, explosive, heat-generating delivery means can make render BW organisms/toxins inactive.
What is the most effective means to deliver Biological Weapons?
- The preferred approach is dispersion via the use of a pressurized gas in a submunition.
- Dissemination efficiency rates of aerosol delivery systems are in the range of 40-60 percent.
- In contrast, the delivery of biological agents by explosive devices is much less efficient (~1-5 percent).
- Cruise missiles, aircraft-carrying gravity bombs or spray attachments and fixed-wing or rotor craft with attached sprayers are all effective vehicles for delivery of biological agents.
- Other preferred delivery platforms from an efficiency standpoint include pilotless drones and high-speed ballistic missiles with bomblet warheads
- The ability to disseminate the biological agent over a wide area would be limited to those countries having advanced aircraft, cruise missiles, or ballistic missiles equipped with dispersal submunitions.
- However, even the smallest country or a terrorist group, however, has the capability to deliver small quantities of BW agent to a specific target.
- In 1995, the Japanese terrorist group Aum Shinrikyo attempted unsuccessfully to disperse BW agents in urban areas of Japan, including outside of a US military base.
- This same group later employed a chemical weapons, sarin, in attacking on the Tokyo subway systems, killing 19 and injuring scores of subway travelers.
What are the physical and other effects of Biological Weapons use?
- The clinical illness could develop within a day of dispersal and last for as long as 2-3 weeks.
- Many, but not all, people in the targeted area may die; others could be severely ill, requiring extensive medical treatment.
- Much depends on the BW agent, its stabilization process and the dispersal means used.
- In a civil situation, major subway systems in a densely populated urban area could be targeted for biological agent strike, resulting in massive political and social disorganization.
- Approximately 10 grams of anthrax spores can kill as many persons as one (1) ton of sarin, a prevalent chemical weapon.
- Using aerosol delivery under appropriate meteorological conditions, a single aircraft can disperse 100 kg of anthrax over a 300 km 2 area and theoretically cause 3 million deaths (population density: 10,000 people per 2 square kilometers).
Are there detection and protection measures against biological warfare agents?
Nuc/Bio/Chem Threats
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