Preparedness for Chemical Attacks

Chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, or explosive training drills or exercises

To start off every branch need to have some sort of training plane in order to ensure all personnel are able to protect themselves. Another issue is that a training plan should be readily available for civilians as well. Later on in this paper I will describe the various attacks that are probable. The US military is trained for events such as those. Chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological and explosives are the types of attacks that may be used. Because of the attacks on September 11, 2001, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, and recently the swine flu epidemic the federal, state, and local government's as well as public and private health care systems progressively focused on the ability of the health care system to plan for and respond to mass casualty incidents. A critical element of the public health emergency preparedness strategy is the accessibility of tools to assist government agencies and healthcare facilities comparable in emergency preparedness planning.

Chemical agents consist of three of the deadliest types which are, Nerve agents, Choking agents, and Blood agents. Nerve agents such as VX and Sarin attacks the body's nervous system and may cause you lose all bodily functions. An individual may urinate on themselves or even worse defecate. Next is choking agents, which are designed to impede an intended target's ability to breathe, resulting in suffocation. Last is a blood agent which is chemical weapons that are usually inhaled and produce their effects by preventing the body from utilizing oxygen. (Ricahrd H. Ward, 2006) Ways to protect yourself is to practice responding to attacks. For example: If the attack is outdoors the recommended action to take is for an individual to take shelter quickly in the closest building, close all windows/doors, and shut the flow of air. If inside, stay inside. Then, to the extent possible, move upstairs, find an interior room, and seal the room. Remain inside until told it is safe to leave and then ventilate and vacate the shelter immediately. (An Individual's Strategy)

According to Global Focus, Cyanides (Sodium, potassium, or hydrogen) are better described as poisons than CW agents. They must be disseminated in high concentrations, or in enclosed and unaired areas to be successful. Moderately large quantities of CW are needed to attain mass casualties. According to pentagon estimation 22 pounds of sarin would be needed to slaughter 50 people in an al fresco atmosphere. It would take about 220 pounds to destroy five hundred, and 2,200 pounds to generate 10,000 casualties. Unsurprisingly, less would be needed in an enclosed space. Although this level of damage is higher than that from conventional explosives, the problems of collecting and disseminating sufficient quantities are formidable.

The effectiveness of disseminating the agent is significant to the effectiveness of CW. The methodology depends on whether the agent is designed as an aerosol, liquid or solid and how it is to be absorbed by the target. Weaponized CW agents are often distributed by explosives, such as artillery shells (Weapons of Mass Destruction).

A biological weapon scatters organisms to create a disease in humans, plants, and animals. The transience rates vary among a range of diseases. The most dangerous are those that are transmissible and can be passed from one infected person to others, but not all are communicable. Anthrax and ricin are not contagious; smallpox however is.

Although chemical weapons have been used for decades, biological weapons are somewhat a new growth because the construction and weaponization of biological are far more complicated and refined, and has been made probable by scientific advances.

Biological agents are used through anything that could be found in nature, I.e. water. This agent can fall into three out of six categories: bacteria, viruses and toxins. Bacteria is consider a small living organisim that could be found on any surface. The most known biological agent is Anthrax. Anthrax is a bacterial, disease caused by Bacillus Anthracis. Anthrax occurs in domesticated and wild animals, including goats, sheep, cattle, horses and deer, but other animals may be infected. Anthrax is an invisible bacteria that can live in soil, water, and dead animals. There are three forms:

* Skin or cutaneous form may be contracted by

- exposure to spores on an open area.

- First appears as a rash or blister that may resemble a bite, progressing to a painless ulcer with a black area in the center.

- Can be treated effectively with antibiotics.

- Represents 95% of cases of human anthrax.

- With treatment mortality rate is 1%.

* Inhalation may be constricted by breathing in spores, e.g. the air conditioning system.

- The symptoms first appear as flu like symptoms which occurs between day one and day seven

* Fever

* depression

* Fatigue

* Cough

* Mild chest discomfort followed by severe respiratory distress

- Can be treated with antibiotics if prompt treatment is initiated.

Management with antibiotics beginning immediately after exposure has proven to be effective using Penicillin, Doxycycline, Ciproflaxin. (Lancova)

Next, and I believe to be the most serious is smallpox. Smallpox appears as boils on your skin. According to the Homeland security smallpox only exist in the following two places: U.S center for disease control and prevention in Atlanta, GA and a Vector which is a biological research laboratory in Novosibirsk, Russia. (Kathleen L. Kiernan, 2006) Last but least are the toxins, which are considered poisnous substances. Ricin is found in castor beans. Ricin can be found in the form of powder, mist and pellet.

Nuclear weapons have and will always be the real threat of mass destruction. Auspiciously, the practical barriers to fabricate enriched uranium or plutonium are too expensive. The technical skill to produce a nuclear warhead are even more difficult, and if successful one must then have a delivery system, or the ability to transport a radioactive device without detection by sophisticated sensors. A small number of states have been willing and very much able to allocate the monetary resources to a long-term nuclear weapons program and it would be far-flung from the