Homeland Security forum responses (Regulatory Issues in Weapons of Mass Destruction)

Hello, class!

I apologize for the lateness of my post! I just bought a house (woo!), and have been having trouble setting up internet and whatnot (boo!)

Bacillus Anthracis (Anthrax):

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus Anthracis. It is found naturally in soil and can be contracted by animals that are eating from that soil. When humans come into contact with those animals or eat meat from an infected animal, they can contract anthrax. Those researching it believe that is came from Egypt or Mesopotamia. Anthrax has different ways of affecting people, and that depends on how it enters someone's body. It causes death if it is not treated in a timely manner with antibiotics(CDC, 2015). It is on this list because terrorists have been using anthrax to infect people as a scare tactic. The most deadly way of contracting Anthrax is inhaling it, and in 2001 terrorists were mailing spores containing anthrax by the United States Postal Service (CDC, 2014).

Work Cited:

CDC, Anthrax, 2015, January 01. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/index.html

CDC, The Threat. (2014, January 01). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/bioterrorism/threat.html

Atomic Bomb:

An atomic bomb's destructive force come from a sudden release of energy in the bomb's nuclear core. To date, only two different types of atomic bombs have been used against an enemy, and those are the plutonium and uranium bombs used in two cities in Japan during World War II. The explosion is caused by nuclear fission, which is when a the nucleus is split into many fragments (Atomic Heritage Foundation).

An atomic bomb has many different effects, such as a 300,000 degrees Celsius fireball that can create a 50 foot radius, a shock wave, initial radioactivity, and induced radioactivity. Initial radioactivity is a small portion of the radioactivity from the blast, and induced radioactivity comes after. It is found in people, the soil, and wildlife (Atomic Bomb Museum).

Work Cited:

The Atomic Heritage Foundation, Science Behind the Atom Bomb. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb

The Atomic Bomb Museum, AtomicBombMuseum.org - Destructive Effects. (2006). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.atomicbombmuseum.org/3_radioactivity.shtml

Chemical Warfare:

Chemical Warfare is a toxic agent or chemical that has a delivery method of a shell-like form, like a bomb. There are three different kinds of these toxic chemicals, which are choking, blistering, or nerve agent. The choking agent causes enough choking to cough up bits of your lung, and will kill you. The blistering agent causes burns on exposed parts of the body, and internal blistering in the mouth and lungs. The nerve agent causes paralysis when inhaled, causing your breathing function to cease. Chemical warfare was used a lot in World War I, even though it is against the Geneva Convention(Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons).

Work Cited:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Brief Description of Chemical Weapons, Chemical Weapon as defined by the CWC, CW Agent Group, Persistency Rate of Action. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.opcw.org/about-chemical-weapons/what-is-a-chemical-weapon/

Bioterrorism:

A bioterrorism attack is a release of a virus, bacteria or a different germ in order to cause harm to people, animals, or plants. There are three different categories of a bioterrorism attack. There is Category A, which is the highest priority because it can easily be transmitted human to human, and causes the most potential harm and requires special action from public agencies. Category B is the second highest because it is easy to spread, but results in less damage than a Category A attack. It requires enhanced disease research. Category C is the third highest priority, and it is an agent that is created in mass quantities have the potential for high amounts of casualties (CDC, 2007).

Bioterrorism was used as early as 600 BC, and used in World War I and II( Riedel, 2004).

Work Cited:

CDC. Bioterrorism Overview. (2007, February). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://emergency.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/overview.asp

Riedel, S. (2004). Biological warfare and bioterrorism: A historical review. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200679/

Ebola:

The ebola virus causes a very serious illness, that is fatal in many instances, especially if not treated. It first appeared in 1976 in the Sudan and in The Republic of Congo in two different attacks that happened at the same time. It is contracted from close contact with body fluids or with close contact of animals that are infected with the virus. Health workers caring for those infected with Ebola and those that bury the deceased with Ebola are often infected. The most current outbreak was in 2014 in Africa (World Health Organization, 2016). Symptoms of Ebola include fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, weakness, abdominal pain, unexplained hemorraghing, and severe headaches (CDC, 2014).

Work Cited:

Ebola virus disease. (2016, January). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

Signs and Symptoms. (2014, February). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms/index.html