Learning Outcomes:
Discuss the different kinds of
weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
Identify the effects of these WMD
both to humans and the environment
Propose actions or policies to
regulate the use of WMD
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Weapon- a device that is designed to be used
in fighting an enemy of war to cause bodily
harm to another or defend oneself from
attackers
Weapon of mass destruction (WMD)- a term
used to describe different kinds of weapons
with two important characteristics:
1. Ability to produce large- scale destruction
2. Do not choose who they want to attack which affects usually
the civilians
Four Kinds of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Biological weapons of mass destruction
- A weapon that uses harmful biological agent (such as a
pathogenic microorganism or a neurotoxin, maybe a virus or
bacteria) to cause death or disease on a large scale (Merriam
Webster, 2018)
Chemical weapon of mass destruction
- A weapon containing any of several chemical compounds like
chlorine gas, mustard gas, of which some are toxic agents, that
are intended to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy (Schneider,
2018)
Four Kinds of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Nuclear weapons of mass destruction
- A weapon combining radiological materials with a
conventional explosive device (Schneider, 2018)
- They considered as the greatest weapons of mass destruction
ever created because they are capable of releasing large
amounts of energy by splitting the atoms of highly enriched
uranium or plutonium in a process called fission, or reaction.
Radiological weapon of mass destruction
- A device that spread dangerous radioactive materials that is
wrapped around a conventional explosive to spread toxic
radiation
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
1. Smallpox
- Caused by variola virus
- Signs: high fevers, body aches and
rash that develops from fluid- filled
bumps and when it healed it
produces scabs to permanent,
pitted scars
- The disease easily spreads through
the air in closed, confined areas
and contaminated snail mail
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for smallpox include proper medical management for
affected patients is advised by following the supportive care
such as:
• Patient should be isolated until all scabs have fallen off (about 3-4 weeks
after rash onset)
• Maintain fluid and electrolyte balance to avoid dehydration
• Give medication for fever and pain
• Give food rich in protection
• Skin lesions should be properly treated
• Monitor complications and treat them immediately
• Vaccination to prevent severe transmission of small fox and in case of death,
corpse should be cremated
• Health workers should wear protective clothing , face mask and gloves and
should be properly disposed or sterilized
• Pregnant women should be advised against becoming pregnant for four
weeks after smallpox vaccination (Aneela Naureen Hussain, 2015)
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
2. Anthrax
- Deadliest and most feared agent of
biological weapon
- Caused by a bacterium called
Bacillus antracis that is found
naturally in some animals in low
levels but when its pores are
inhaled by humans, it becomes
deadly
- Antidote for Anthrax infection
includes large doses of intravenous
and oral antibiotics, such as
flouroquinolones (ciprofloxacin),
doxycyclin, er ythromycin,
vancomycin or penicillin
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
3. Ebola virus
- A killer virus that caused hemorrhagic
fevers marked by severe bleeding
- Ebola hit the news in the late 1970s
as it spread through Zaire and Sudan,
killing hundreds
- It got its name from the Ebola River,
which is near one of the villages in
the Democratic Republic of Congo
where the disease was first
discovered (WHO, 2018)
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Ebola Virus:
*There is no vaccine and no cure for Ebola.
only proper medical management such as
avoiding people who are exposed to it
Maintain balance of fluids and electrolyte
Blood transfusion and treatment for other
infections
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
4. Plague
- also called Black Death that killed half of the
population of Europe in 14 t h centur y caused by the
bacterium Yer sinia pestis which was transmitted
to humans by infected rats
- It exist in two main strains: bubonic and
pneumonic.
* Bubonic plague- spreads by bites from infected
fleas, but also can be transmitted from per son to
per son
- Named for swollen glands or buboes, around the
groin, armpit and neck accompanied with fever,
chills, headache and exhaution
* pneumonic plague- less common and spreads
through the air by coughs, sneezes and face-to- face
contact
- symptoms include high fever, cough, bloody mucus
and dif ficult in breathing
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Plague:
Antibiotics are prescribed to treat bubonic
plague, and the patient is advised to be
hospitalized in isolation.
Delayed treatment can easily make the
bacteria quickly multiply in the blood or
spread to the lungs.
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
5. Tularemia
- also called rabbit fever
- a disease caused by the bacterium Francisella
tularensis and is one of the most infectious bacteria
on Ear th
- Some animals and humans can become infected
through bites of tick and deer fly, skin contact with
animals, drinking contaminated water and inhalation
of contaminated aerosols or agricultural dusts
- It symptoms normally appear within 3 to 5 days af ter
exposure and may var y depending on the method of
infection.
- Patients experience fever, chills, headache, diarrhea,
muscle aches, joint pain, dr y cough and progressive
weakness.
- If lef t untreated, respirator y failure, shock and death
follow. The illness typically lasts less than a weeks,
but during that time, infected people are basically
bedridden
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Tularemia:
Tularemia is not transferred between human
hosts but can be spread very rapidly between
animal hosts and humans or when used in
aerosol form.
It can be easily treated with antibiotics or
prevented with a vaccine.
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
6. Botulinum
- caused by a bacteria Clostridium botulinum
that contains the deadly botulinum toxin
- it is colorless and odorless in air
- spores are found in fruits, vegetables and
seafood
- humans primarily exposed to the toxin
through the consumption of contaminated
food
- signs of botulism are blurred vision, vomiting
and dif ficulty swallowing
- To avoid severe ef fects, an antitoxin botulism
should be administered to the victim
- If untreated, victim will experience paralysis,
af fecting the muscles and eventually the
respiratory system
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Botolinium:
Antitoxin drugs can be
administered to the patient to
prevent the disorder from
worsening, but recovery sill
takes many weeks according to
Davis (2007)
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
7. Rice Blast
- classified as a bioweapon, a kind of
crop disease caused by the fungus
Pyricularia oryzae
- makes leaves of plant that were
exposed to the fungus develop grayish
lesions with buildup of thousands of
fungal spores
- spores quickly multiply and spread to
all plants, weakening them and
producing lower crop harvest
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Rice Blast:
To prevent rice blast infested
plants from growing, it is
suggested to develop fungus
resistant plant varieties
Other crop management measures
can also be done such as: do not
use excessive fertilizer, irrigate the
soil regularly, apply appropriate
fungicide to infected plants
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
8. Rinderpest
- also known as cattle plague
- -is a German name and a kind of pest
caused by a virus similar to measles,
but affects mostly cattle and other
animals such as goats, bison and
giraffes
- highly contagious disease, characterized
with fever, loss of appetite, dysentery
and inflammation of the mucus
membranes
- condition gets serious for six to 10 days
after exposure until the animal suffers
dehydration
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
Antidote for Rinderpest virus
(RPV):
There is no known treatment and
animals exposed to it are required to
be isolated and slaughtered.
Vaccination can be administered if
directed by the authorities.
Proper disposal of dead animals and
contaminated materials .
Maintain cleanliness and proper
sanitation of cattle farms.
Using disinfectants like Sodium
hypochlorite can kill RPV virus
Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
(Biowarfare)
9 . Nipah disease
- is c aused by the nipah v irus in 19 99 , that resulted to
an o utbreak in Nipah regio n in M alay sia, infe c ting
265 and killing 105
- Health wo rker s suspec t the v irus naturally o c c ur s in
fruit bats. The exa c t nature o f transfe renc e is
unc er tain, but ex per ts think that the v irus may
spread through c lo se p hy sic a l c o ntac t or
c o ntaminated bo dy fluids.
- illness ty pic ally last 6 to 10 d ay s, ind uc ing
sy mpto ms that range from mild , flulike c o nd itio ns
suc h as feve r and musc le p ains to enc ep ha litis, o r
inflammatio n o f the brain
- mo re seve re c ases, patients ex p erienc ed d row siness,
diso rientatio n, c o nvulsio ns and ultimately c o ma
- c lassified as a Catego r y C b io lo gic al w eap o n
Antidote fo r Nipah v irus: Treatment is limited to
suppo r tive c are
Chemical weapon of Mass Destruction
Chemical weapon of mass
destruction is composed of toxic chemical
contained in a bomb that can cause death,
injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory
irritation through its chemical action.
There are several kinds of chemical
weapons, and their effectiveness is
controlled by its freshness, purity, weather
conditions, wind direction, means of
dissemination and other factors.
They come in the form of liquids,
vapors, gases and aerosols. They are
called nerve agents, blister agents and
choking agents cause to eye, lungs or skin
irritation.
Most common chemical weapons include:
1. Sarin
- also called GB, a colorless, odorless nerve gas and considered
an organophosphate chemical, a potent pesticide
- a tasteless, odorless, colorless liquid that has no odor in its
pure form which was developed in Germany Gerhard Schrader
in 1938
2. Soman
- A combination of Sarin and Lewisite, an effective blistering
agent. It is more expensive to produce than sarin. It is a
colorless liquid, becomes dark brown if aged. It is tasteless
but has been variously described as having sweet, musty,
fruity, spicy or nutty smell.
- Antidote to nerve agent poisoning must be given immediately.
These includes: Atropine, Pralidoxime Diazepam
Most common chemical weapons include:
3. VX, or O- ethyl S- diisophropylaminomethyl
methylphosphonothiolate
- brownish in liquid form and its vapors are odorless. VX is toxic
is a very toxic never gas, an extremely toxic chemical agent that
is used as a nerve gas which causes convulsions, loss of
consciousness, paralysis and failure of the respiratory system
leading to death.
4. Tabun
- discovered by accident in Germany by a German chemist,
Gerhard Schrader, sometime in 1967
- a colorless or brownish liquid and odorless as a vapor
- classified as an organophosphate and originally intended to be
used as pesticides and considered among the easiest nerve
gases to manufacture
Most common chemical weapons include:
5. Zyklon B
- a poison gas invented in Germany in 1920 by Fritz Haber, a
type of hydrogen cyanide used by the Nazis to kill war victims
inside gas chamber during World War II. It is a colorless vapor
at normal temperatures with a smell like bitter almonds
- Antidote use is Amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite and sodium
thiosulfate which are antidote for cyanide toxicity.
6. Mustard Agents
- first used near the end of World War I
- often called “blister agents” and caused severe eye and lung
damage
Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction
Two main types:
a. Fission weapons
In fission weapons, atoms are split. The core of a fission bomb
is made of either plutonium or highly enriched uranium.
Plutonium and uranium atoms are both heavy, meaning they
have large number of protons and neutrons in nucleus.
b. Fusion weapons
In fusion weapons, often known as hydrogen bombs- deuterium
and tritium, two isotopes of hydrogen, are fused together to
create heavier atoms. This reaction also occurs in the center of
the sun. Fusion can only happen at extremely high temperatures
and pressure.
Effects of nuclear Weapons
Blast- refers to the very fast release of energy in an explosion
producing a shock wave equivalent to several thousand
pounds of pressure per square inch (psi)
Thermal radiation- a form of energy with a combination of
heat and light
Direct nuclear radiation- releases several forms of radiations
such as gamma, alpha and beta particles. Both gamma rays
and neutrons can easily penetrate or pass through solid
objects and can be deadly.
Fallout- consists of large number of particles, which are
propelled upward in the blast and becomes irradiated or
contaminated with radiation during the explosion
Radiological Weapons of Mass Disruption
Radioactive “dirty bombs”
- made by combining radioactive material with
conventional explosives usually dynamite to
spread it, but would not cause massive death
and injury as compared to the scale of a
nuclear weapon detonation. They are intended
to spread terror rather than mass killings
( NTI.com, 2015)
REFERENCE
Aldea, K.I., Caronan, H.P., and Candido, M. B., Science,
Technology, and Society (2018), Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
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