Biological weapons are made from living organisms harmful to people, animals, or crops. Their use in warfare is prohibited by international agreements, but some nations have ignored the bans. Biological warfare is ancient and includes bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They pose a serious danger as they do not distinguish between friend and foe and can cause epidemics. There are concerns about the safety of facilities where such weapons research is carried out as a security breach could lead to biological weapons in the hands of terrorists.
Biological weapons are weapons made from living organisms that are harmful to people, animals or crops. The use of such weapons in warfare was prohibited by the Geneva Protocol in 1925 and further restricted by the Biological Weapons and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1972. Signatories to these agreements are not expected to produce, stockpile or research biological weapons, although some have openly ignored these bans, arguing that they need to protect themselves from nations that have not signed these agreements.
All kinds of things can be used as biological weapons including bacteria, fungi and viruses. As a general rule, a good candidate is easy to disperse, extremely robust and lethal even in small doses, preferably with an incubation period long enough to allow exposed people to come into contact with those who have not been exposed, thus ensuring that the a biological weapon will penetrate deeply into a nation or an army. Most biological weapons are also capable of being aerosolized, as this is the most efficient method of delivery.
While people may think specifically of things like smallpox, Ebola, and anthrax when they hear the term “biological weapons,” biological warfare is actually ancient. Humans have historically demonstrated vast creativity with harmful biological agents. The Assyrians, for example, defiled enemy wells with ergot to cause hallucinations, while the Greeks threw pots filled with venomous snakes aboard enemy ships. The Tatars hurled the bodies of plague victims over the city walls, and the British distributed smallpox-infested blankets to the Native Americans.
You may also hear biological warfare referred to as the “war on germs,” due to the large number of germs used for biological weapons. Many people have strongly criticized the production and development of biological weapons, arguing that they pose a serious danger. If released, these organisms will not distinguish between friend and foe and will even cross borders, contaminating the air, soil and water. There is serious potential for an epidemic to run amok; if, for example, a grain-destroying fungus is released in Afghanistan, it will quickly spread throughout Asia.
Some nations have also expressed concerns about the safety of facilities where such weapons research is carried out. A security breach at such a facility could lead to biological weapons in the hands of terrorists, for example, while failure to follow security protocols could result in a biological agent being released into the surrounding area. Because of their potential to cause serious harm, biological agents are considered weapons of mass destruction.
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