Biodefense

Biodefense concerns short-term, local, often military measures to grant biosecurity to a group of people in a specific area who are or may be impacted by biological warfare. In the civilian terminology, it is an organized biohazard response. Although it is technically possible to apply biodefense measures to protect animals or plants, this is generally uneconomic. Nonetheless, the protection of water and food supplies is often a crucial aspect of biodefense strategy.

Biodefense is usually discussed in the context of biowar or bioterrorism, and is generally considered a military or emergency response term that applies to two distinct target populations: civilian non-combatant and military combatant. Biodefense uses medical measures such as the administration of medicines and vaccinations to protect people from the effects of biological warfare. It also comprises medical research and preparations as a means of defense against bioterrorist attacks. Bioterrorism is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs to cause illness or death. Although these germs often have natural sources, in certain cases they can be modified to increase their ability to cause disease, spread, or resist cures.

Many processes and systems have been set by bioscience laboratories, agricultural managers, customs agents, and other parties with the goal of curtailing the use of dangerous pathogens and toxins. Examples include regulations imposed on research carried out on certain pathogens, or preparatory plans for the eventuality of a large-scale disease outbreak.

Biological agents can spread through air, water, or food, and person to person. Some of these agents can be very difficult to detect as symptoms of the diseases they cause may not become evident for several hours or days. Anthrax, botulism, Ebola, and other hemorrhagic fever viruses, plague, or smallpox are some of the diseases that scientists believe are likely to be used as biological agents. Other biological agents include the following:

• Abrin (natural poison found in the seeds of the rosary pea or jequirity pea plants that can come in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water)
• Arsine (colorless, flammable, and non-irritating toxic gas with a mild odor resemblant of garlic)
• Chlorine (can be a gas or changed into a liquid via pressurization and cooling)
• Cyanide (can be a colorless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide [HCN] or cyanogen chloride [CNCl], or in a crystal form, such as sodium cyanide [NaCN] or potassium cyanide [KCN])
• Tularemia (infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis found in animals, especially rodents, rabbits, and hares)
• Lewisite (oily, colorless liquid in its pure form and can appear amber to black in its impure form, also known by its military designation, L)
• Nitrogen mustards (can be clear, pale amber, or yellow-colored when in liquid or solid form, and can also come in vapor form)
• Phosgene (may appear colorless or as a white to pale yellow cloud, also known by its military designation, CG)
• Ricin (can come in the form of a powder, mist, or pellet, alternatively it can be dissolved in water or weak acid)
• Riot control agents/tear gas (examples include bromobenzylcyanide [CA], chloroacetophenone [CN], chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile [CS], chloropicrin [PS], and dibenzoxazepine [CR])
• Sarin (a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid that has no odor in its pure form. However, sarin can evaporate into a vapor (gas)
• Sodium azide (odorless white solid that changes rapidly to a toxic gas with a pungent, sharp odor when mixed with water or an acid)
• Soman (clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a slight odor that can turn into vapor upon being heated)
• Strychnine (white, odorless, bitter crystalline powder)
• Sulfur mustard (also known as mustard gas or mustard agent, sulfur mustard can come in the forms of a vapor, an oily-textured liquid, or a solid)
• Tabun (clear or colorless-to-brown liquid depending on purity, also known as GA)
• VX (oily, amber-colored liquid that is odorless, tasteless, and very slow to evaporate)