Prepared by the Medical Association for Prevention of War Chemical and Biological Weapons

Prepared by the Medical Association for Prevention of War

Chemical and Biological Weapons

MAPW (Australia) Bio & Chem Weapons 2006

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Biological and Chemical Weapons

Which states possess them

What they are The threat of

terrorism The international

response

Where Are They?


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Current Stockpiles


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Current Stockpiles

What Exactly Are These Weapons?


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What Is a Biological Weapon?

Uses a living organism or its toxic agent

delivery device Both conventional

and unconventional means of delivery


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Bacteria: Anthrax, Brucella, Melioidosis, Tularaemia, PlagueToxins: Botulinum, RicinRickettsiae: Q fever, Rickettsia (eg RMSF, Epidemic Typhus)Fungi: Histoplasma, CryptococcusViruses: Smallpox, Dengue, Yellow Fever, Ebola, Hanta, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley fever, (Flu), Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, ChikungunyaALSO: Animal, Plant Pathogens (eg FMD, West Nile virus, Wheat Rust, Glanders)

BIOLOGICAL AGENTS WITH POTENTIAL AS WEAPONS - A Selected List


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BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS : Choosing An Agent

Availability - may be straightforward eg Iraq-anthrax (from CDC) Contagiousness - eg smallpox, plague - rapid epidemic development Mortality -eg Marburg virusSuitability for dissemination in infective form eg anthrax, Q fever highly resistant to dessication, heat, long viabilityLack of effective treatment or prophylaxis:

eg Ebola, Marburg, Smallpox (manipulated?)for those responsive to antibiotics (eg Plague, Glanders) look for new resistant types


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Advantages Of Biological Weapons

Multiple Methods For DeliveryWide Utility - non-discriminating, cause sickness, death, panic, may disseminate widely, may be persistent Good Logistics - cheap to make and storeVersatile - can be in small or large quantitiesDefence May Be DifficultCause No Damage To InfrastructureEasy To Conceal‘Status’ WMD - ‘poor man’s nuclear weapon’


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Slow Onset (except toxins) Indiscriminate Difficult To Control Distribution Esp If Contagious Preventive and/or Treatment Measures For Some Lack Of Impressive Precedents Level Of Technical Sophistication At Least Moderate International Taboo

Disadvantages Of Biological Weapons


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What is a Chemical Weapon?

Uses the toxic properties of chemicalsInexpensive to produceThousands of chemicals can be

weaponisedBoth conventional and unconventional

means of delivery


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Chemical Weapons

Lethal Agents

Blood Agents: Nerve Agents:Cyanogen chloride (CK) Tabin (GA)Hydrogen Cyanide (AC) Sarin (GB)Blister Agents: Pulmonary Agents:Lewisite (L) ChlorineSulfur mustard gas (HD, H, HT, HL, HQ) Phosgene (CG)

Non-Lethal Agents

Incapacitating Agents: Riot Control Agents: Agent 15 (BZ) Pepper Spray (OC)


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Advantages of chemical weapons

Inexpensive to produceMultiple means of deliveryPsychological as well as physical impact‘Status’ WMD - ‘poor man’s nuclear

weapon’


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Disadvantages of chemical weapons

Some agents require sophisticated chemical processing

Often unpredictable effectsEffects may not be confined to a target

area International taboo

How are these weapons used?


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Both biological and chemical warfare have a very long history

WWI: Chemical weapons used by both sides

WWII: Biological and chemical weapons used by Japan, chemical weapons used by Germany

History of Biological and Chemical Weapons


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History of Biological and Chemical Weapons: The Cold War

Dwarfed by Cold War nuclear threatResearch and development continuedChemical weapons used in:

Yemen Afghanistan Iraq

Chad IranBiological weapons less usable1972 Biological Weapons Convention


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Both chemical weapons and biological weapons have been used on numerous occasions in last 25 years

Biological weapons are generally more suited to terrorist use

Terrorism and Biological and Chemical Weapons


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WHO Report

‘…every major new technology of the past has come to be exploited, intensively, not only for peaceful purposes, but for hostile ones.’

‘..the spread of advanced biotechnology and the new accessibility of information about it offer new tools to any country or ill-minded group intending to develop a biological weapon.’

WHO 2001


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‘The accessibility of biological agents on a militarily significant scale has been much enhanced by advances in industrial microbiology and its spreading practice throughout the world.’

WHO 2001

WHO Report

Case study


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Biological weapon first choiceAs early as 1990 they had a lab for biotoxins (eg Botulinum)Released Botulin toxin near the Diet in April 1990 to no effectAttempted to make an effective aerosol for Botulin, Anthrax, Cholera and Q fever1993 sprayed Botulin toxin in Tokyo to coincide with the wedding of the Crown Prince - no effectJune 1993 released Anthrax spores from a roof in Tokyo - again no observed effect Total 9 failed Biological attempts in central Tokyo Turned to chemical weapons – Sarin

THEIR STORY SHOWS THE DIFFICULTY OF CONDUCTING ASUCCESSFUL BIOTERRORISM ATTACK

Case Study: Aum Shinrikyo


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Why is Anthrax So Popular As a Biological Weapon?

Spores Are Tough Fairly Easy To Culture Have A Long Shelf-life


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What is Anthrax?

A Disease Of Grazing Animals

Bacillus Anthracis


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What Does Anthrax Do To a Human?

A skin infection,Nasty but treatable with antibioticsMore serious intestinal disease -

frequently fatalInhaling the spores – nearly always fatalIncubation period is anywhere from two

days to two months


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States That Developed Anthrax Weapons

Canada Germany Iraq Japan Soviet Union United Kingdom United States

The International Response


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Chemical and Biological Weapons and International Law

The 1925 Geneva Protocol Prohibits the use of asphyxiating, poisonous, or other gases and

all analogous liquids, materials or devices in warfare ‘Customary international law’ Bans use not possession No-first-use-treaty


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1972 Biological Weapons Convention Negotiations were concluded following the US unilaterally

renounced biological weapons First treaty to ban an entire class of weapons Prohibits development, production, stockpiling and acquisition of

biological weapons Does not obstruct non-hostile use of biological agents but still

covers future weaponisation of agents


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1993 Chemical Weapons Convention Took over twenty years of multilateral negotiation Prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling,

retention, transfer and use of chemical weapons Also prohibits states from assisting or encouraging others in

relation to chemical weapons Creates Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

(OPCW)


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Unresolved Issues Biological Weapons Convention Verification Non-signatories to Biological and Chemical Weapons

Conventions Clandestine Proliferation


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Non-signatories to the BWC

AngolaCameroonChadComorosCook IslandsDjiboutiEritreaGuineaIsraelKazakstanKiribati

Marshall IslandsMauritaniaMicronesia (Federal States of)MozambiqueNamibiaNauruNiueRepublic of MoldovaSamoaTajikistanTrinidad and TobagoTuvaluZambia


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AngolaBarbados

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Egypt

Iraq

Lebanon

Somalia

Syrian Arab Republic

Non-signatories to the CWC

What You Can Do


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MAPW and the fight against chemical and biological weaponsThe Medical Association for Prevention of War continues to:

Educate health professionals, scientists and the general public about the dangers of chemical and biological weapons

Lobby the Australian government to support the Chemical and Biological Weapons Convention regimes and other related non-proliferation architecture

Campaign for a world free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons


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Medical Association for Prevention of War Australia

(MAPW)

National Office: P.O. Box 1379, Carlton VIC 3053, AustraliaPh: 03 8344 1637 Fax: 03 8344 1638

www.mapw.org.au [email protected] affiliate of International Physicians for Prevention of

Nuclear War (IPPNW)

Documents

Prepared by the Medical Association for Prevention of War Chemical and Biological Weapons