Bioterrorism is a form of terrorism that holds a massive danger over anybody, with the power to kill millions in just days or months. Some various chemical weapons that can be used or have been include: Anthrax, Smallpox, Ebola, Plague, and Tularemia. Each one of these viruses contains the power to harm, severely disable, or kill a person. From Pneumonia to shock and paralysis the wrath of chemical agent produces much more torturous effects then a gun-wound in a war scenario. To put into perspective, “An airborne release of 250 pounds of anthrax spores over Washington, D.C., could cause more deaths than a 1-megaton hydrogen bomb” (Spencer 1). A 1-megaton hydrogen bomb holds the capacity to kill 370,000 people instantly and to injure almost
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alone and the build-up of chemical weapons in other countries is still increasing. Bioterrorism is a dangerous threat to America and needs to be taken seriously, there have been numerous attacks and threats in the past and America is not properly prepared for an attack which could result in possibly, hundreds of thousands, of fatalities.
The danger of a Bioterrorist attack lies not only in just the possible death rate, but in the accessibility for one to go through with an attack. Biochemical agents can be spread through, food, water, air, livestock, and possibly hair. Almost all the ways in which the disease or virus could be passed along would be undetectable. They would remain that way until someone began to show signs and be in a very ill state. Not only that, the source of which the disease would have to be identified as well as the disease itself. By this time, an unknown number of people would be infected in a similar state, with it being possibly spread to more. …show more content…
is not prepared in any way for a chemical attack and the past administrations have shown a lack in commitment to the country’s protection. The main program that the government invested into was nothing more than a money-grab and really provides no reliable protection for the citizens. The system is known as BioWatch and was first implemented by George W. Bush in 2003. Biowatch has, “Exasperated public health officials with numerous false alarms, stemming from its inability to distinguish between harmless germs and the lethal pathogens that terrorists would be likely to unleash in an attack” (William 1). With over $1 Billion invested in the system, it should by no means be sensing harmless germs as a possible attack. Homeland Security studies have also come forward to discuss how the system is not performing up to it’s original potential and ultimately seems to be a waste of money. Richard Ebright a professor at Rutgers University in Chemical Biology claims, “BioWatch has devolved into little more than a program for channeling funds from taxpayers to contractors. The correct solution is to start afresh" (William 1). This system in which came right out of taxpayer’s pockets is being disregarded by the experts and is not seen as a valid way of protections. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable because the damage from a massive Bioterrorist attack could be catastrophic if not caught early enough, and pose economic major trust issues for the U.S. government. According
alone and the build-up of chemical weapons in other countries is still increasing. Bioterrorism is a dangerous threat to America and needs to be taken seriously, there have been numerous attacks and threats in the past and America is not properly prepared for an attack which could result in possibly, hundreds of thousands, of fatalities.
The danger of a Bioterrorist attack lies not only in just the possible death rate, but in the accessibility for one to go through with an attack. Biochemical agents can be spread through, food, water, air, livestock, and possibly hair. Almost all the ways in which the disease or virus could be passed along would be undetectable. They would remain that way until someone began to show signs and be in a very ill state. Not only that, the source of which the disease would have to be identified as well as the disease itself. By this time, an unknown number of people would be infected in a similar state, with it being possibly spread to more. …show more content…
is not prepared in any way for a chemical attack and the past administrations have shown a lack in commitment to the country’s protection. The main program that the government invested into was nothing more than a money-grab and really provides no reliable protection for the citizens. The system is known as BioWatch and was first implemented by George W. Bush in 2003. Biowatch has, “Exasperated public health officials with numerous false alarms, stemming from its inability to distinguish between harmless germs and the lethal pathogens that terrorists would be likely to unleash in an attack” (William 1). With over $1 Billion invested in the system, it should by no means be sensing harmless germs as a possible attack. Homeland Security studies have also come forward to discuss how the system is not performing up to it’s original potential and ultimately seems to be a waste of money. Richard Ebright a professor at Rutgers University in Chemical Biology claims, “BioWatch has devolved into little more than a program for channeling funds from taxpayers to contractors. The correct solution is to start afresh" (William 1). This system in which came right out of taxpayer’s pockets is being disregarded by the experts and is not seen as a valid way of protections. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable because the damage from a massive Bioterrorist attack could be catastrophic if not caught early enough, and pose economic major trust issues for the U.S. government. According