CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 1

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1 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 1 Chemical and Biological Weapons Michael Mancino Henley Putnam University INT415 CBRN Weapons S. Grier February 28, 2014

2 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 2 Chemical and Biological Weapons Chemical and biological weapons are compounds which make use of noxious, poisonous or illness causing compounds in order to disrupt or induce illness or death onto a target population and are not a phenomenon limited to modern warfare. Use of chemical or biological compounds in warfare dates back as far as 431 BC (Croddy, Perez Armendariz, & Hart, 2002, p. 128). The following is a brief description of chemical and biological weapons, their development and weaponization and a short analysis of a terrorist attack in Japan committed by religious cult Aum Shinrikyo. Simply defined, chemical weapons are those that deliver poisonous substances into a target population with the purpose of causing injury, incapacity or death (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 88). Weaponizing a chemical involves the development of technology to process and deliver a substance effectively (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 14). In order to turn it into a functional weapon the producer must ensure the chemical is stable given a wide range of environments and that delivery method to be used will not result in the destruction of the compound itself (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 14). There are two types of chemical munitions: unitary munitions and binary munitions. A unitary munition contains an agent in its completed form. These may include artillery shells, rockets or canisters. Binary munitions are those that contain two separate chambers which, when combined, forms the agent. Binary munitions may take the form of, but are not limited to, artillery shells or spray tanks. There are seven different classifications for chemical weapons: Choking gases (lung irritants), blister agents (vesicants), blood agents, nerve agents (toxic organophosphates), incapacitants (psychoactive chemicals), harassing and riot control agents (RCA s) and vomiting

3 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 3 agents. Choking agents include chlorine and phosgene gases. When inhaled they induce swelling in the pulmonary tissues (pulmonary edema) leading which a victim suffocate in his own fluids (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 92). In the past, this was known as dry land drowning. Blister agents, or vesicants, are those that lead to serious skin irritation, blindness, damage to the respiratory system and, as the name suggests, large fluid filled blisters (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 98). Blood agents are poisons that block the oxygen uptake from the blood to bodily tissues resulting in asphyxiation (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 105). Nerve agents, or toxic organophosphates, work via inhalation or direct contact. Nerve agents kill by paralyzing the respiratory musculature (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 109). Incapacitants are effective as weapons due to their various effects on the victim to include disorientation, hallucination or paralyzation. Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, is one such compound and is known to be used recreationally for its ability to create vivid hallucinations or visions. Riot control agents are those compounds which are designed to disperse crowds or populations by creating an intensely uncomfortable and irritating effect. Vomiting agents cause extreme pain to the eyes, nose and throat and may induce vomiting and bowel constriction (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 122). Biological weapons are those that deliberately set infectious diseases into motion by dispensing, projecting, or disseminating disease causing and poisonous agents into a target area. Since biological weapons do not directly destroy infrastructure, they are more aptly referred to as mass casualty weapons as opposed to weapons of mass destruction (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 193). Such weapons are effective when inhaled, consumed via infected food or water and contact the skin or open wounds. There are three classes of biological weapons: bacteria, viruses and biological toxins. Bacteria are single celled organisms that reproduce by division. Those useful

4 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 4 for BW purposes include rickettsial organisms and bacteria such as anthrax (bacillus anthracis). Viruses are intracellular parasites and cannot replicate by themselves therefore require a host in order to survive (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 209). A biological toxin is any toxic substance that can be produced by microorganisms, animals and plants. Toxins include those extracted from plants, such as ricin from castor beans, and snakes and insects in the form of venom. In order to be useful as a weapon a producer must ensure that the agent can survive storage, delivery and dissemination and is small enough to exist in an aerosol suspension (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 16). Although chemical weapons have been used in the past, one of the most striking attacks occurred in a Tokyo subway in Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese religious cult cum terrorist group actively sought procurement of chemical and biological weapons to include sarin, an organophosphate. In order to produce chemical weapons in sufficient quantities the group successfully recruited multiple individuals with advanced engineering, medical and scientific knowledge (Hoffman, 2006, p. 123). Prior to the attack, the group began its development of chemical weapons by constructing production facilities in Yamanashi prefecture in the vicinity of Mt. Fuji (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, n.d.).on March 20, 1995, Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas inside five separate subway trains during the peak of rush hour. Aum s weapon was dispersed via puncturing a plastic bag containing a mixture of sarin and acetonitrile. Though crude, the attack resulted in the death of 12 people and approximately 1000 injured in 16 different stations (Croddy et al., 2002, p. 65). The number of dead and severely injured may have been reduced were it not for limitations among responding Japanese EMS personnel. Organophosphates such as sarin kill by paralyzing the respiratory musculature. As such, emergency treatment includes emergency

5 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 5 airway adjuncts such as endotracheal intubation. Many of the responding EMS personnel were classified as emergency life saving technicians (ELST s). ELST s in Japan are not allowed to perform advanced airway adjuncts without the express permission or supervision of a medical Dr. Due to the lack of physicians on the scene of the attack, as well as an overload of the communication system linking the EMS personnel to physicians off site, the ELST s were not able to perform such procedures and many of the people who may have been saved were delayed airway treatment until arrival at a hospital (Okumura et al., 2008). Furthermore, due to the confusing nature of such an attack, many of the first responders were not properly outfitted with personal protective equipment and multiple cases of cross contamination occurred (Okumura et al., 2008, p. 615). In preparation against further attacks, it would be wise to ensure a more fluid response. Because of the limitation of the ELST s and the failure of the communication system, at minimum Japanese authorities should have plans in place for either advanced personnel to be placed on scene or a more robust and secure communications network linking first responders to appropriate authorities who may authorize advanced treatment.

6 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 6 References Croddy, E., Perez Armendariz, C., & Hart, J. (2002). Chemical and Biological Warfare: A Comprehensive Survey for the Concerned Citizen. New York: Copernicus Books. Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (Revised and Expanded ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Okumura, T., Suzuki, K., Fukuda, A., Kohama, A., Takasu, N., Ishimatsu, S., & Hinohara, S. (2008). The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack: Disaster Management Part 1: Community Emergency Response. Retrieved from Academic Emergency Medicine: tb02470.x/pdf Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. (n.d.). sarin gas attack in japan and the related forensic i nvestigation/

UNIT 9: TERRORISM AND CERT

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