Anthrax

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Biological Terrorism

The Perfect Biological Weapon

  • Easily concealed
  • Potent
  • Easily delivered
    • The small quantity of anthrax needed for a lethal inhalation dose makes concealment, transportation, and dissemination very easy. An anthrax aerosol is odorless and invisible, making it a very stealthy killer. Only a millionth of a gram of anthrax is a lethal dose. A kilogram can eradicate hundreds of thousands of individuals living in a metropolitan area. Another characteristic making anthrax an effective biological agent, is that anthrax spores can be stored for decades without losing their viability (3).

    Why should we be worried about biological terrorism?

    Many of the agents used as biological weapons occur in nature and are therefore available for use among both the military and civilians. The ease with which biological weapons can be delivered also makes dissemination of these agents easy. In 1995, two members of a militia group in Minnesota were convicted of possession of ricin, a biological agent that they had produced themselves. The ease with which harmful biological agents may be obtained is probably best exemplified by the 1996 episode in which Bubonic plague cultures were obtained through the postal service by a man in Ohio (3).