In case of an attack with chemical or biological weapons near you, authorities will indicate the best action course. This could be to evacuate the area immediately, seek shelter in a designated place or take shelter where you are and seal the place. The best way of protecting yourself is taking preparation measures for emergencies beforehand and seeking medical attention as soon as possible.
Chemical agents
War chemical agents are poisonous fumes, aerosols, liquids or solids that have toxic effects in people, animals or plants. They can be issued through bombs, be sprayed from aircrafts, vessels or vehicles, or be used as a liquid to create a hazard for people and the environment. Some chemical agents may be odorless or unflavored. They may have an immediate effect (from a couple of second to several minutes) or a delayed effect (from several hours to a couple of days.) Although they are potentially lethal, chemical agents are difficult to issue in lethal concentrations.
Outside, the agents dispel quickly. Chemical agents are also difficult to produce.
There are six types of agents:
• Agents that damage the lungs, such as phosgene,
• Cyanide,
• Vesicant or blistering agents, such as mustard,
• Agents that attack the nervous system, such as GA (tabun), GB (sarin), GD (soman), GF and VX.
• Disabling agents, such as BZ, and
• Riot agents (similar to MACE).
Biological agents
Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, cattle and crops. The three basic biological agents that will most likely be used as weapons are bacteria, virus and toxins.
1. Bacteria. Bacteria are small organisms that live freely and reproduce through simple division and are easy to grow. Diseases produces often respond to antibiotic treatment.
2. Virus. Virus are organisms that require live cells to reproduce and intimately depend of the bodies they infect. Virus produce diseases that usually don’t respond to antibiotics. However, antiviral drugs are effective sometimes.
3. Toxins. Toxins are poisonous substances that are found and extracted from live plants, animal or microorganisms; some toxins may reproduce or be altered through chemical procedures. Some toxins may be treated with specific antitoxins and select drugs.
Most biological agents are difficult to grow and keep. Many decompose quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are long lived. They can be dispersed by spraying them in the air or infecting animals that carry the disease to humans through food and water contamination.
• Aerosols – Biological agents that are dispersed in the air, forming a fine spray that can extend for miles. Inhaling the agent may cause disease in people or animals.
• Animals – Some diseases are spread through insects and animals, such as fleas, rats, flies and mosquitoes. Deliberately spreading disease through cattle is also called agro-terrorism.
• Food and water contamination – Some pathogenic organisms and toxins may persist in water and food supplies. Most microbes can be killed and toxins may be deactivated by cooking the food and boiling the water.
In the fall of 2001, anthrax spores elaborated in the form of white dust were mailed to people in the government and the media. Mail classifying machines and opening the letters dispersed the spores in the form of sprays. Some deaths were the result of this. The effect was interrupting the mail service and cause general panic among the public regarding the management of delivered mail.
Spreading from person to person of some infectious agents is also possible. Humans have been the source of pox, bubonic plague and Lassa virus infections.
