NBC AGENTS Chemical Weapons=organic or Biological Weapons=living Nuclear Weapons Nuclear Weapons Nuclear Weapons

inorganic cpds that have toxic organisms and/or viruses (self- Big bang Little Bang No bang
effect on living things (non- replicating) that have adverse
living) effect on living things
May or may not be covert (vapor More difficult to prepare, Suitcase atomic Dirty bomb-explosive Non-explosive radiation
cloud, spray, ‘sticky’ coating, transport, and disperse (fission) bomb, used to disperse release
odor) Release = covert mushroom cloud radioactive material
“multiplication effect”-
transmitted from man to man
# casualities exceeds # initially
infected
Symptoms Minutes to hours (fastest!) Days to weeks Conventional trauma Same as big bang but Not immediately noticed
“flu-like”-fever, malaise, chills, Short/long term fewer # No trauma –radiation
muscle/joint pain, radiation exposure More localized exposure only
lymphadenopathy, headache
respiratory symptoms-CP,
cough, lung/nasal congestion,
breathing difficulty
Decontamination Yes (except chronic) Yes Yes Yes
1st responder Police, fire, EMT MD, hospital staff Police, fire, EMT Police, fire, EMT MD, hospital staff
Management Response zone perimeters set up No response zone perimeters bc Response zone perimeters set up around release site
around release site release site unknown, days or
weeks ago, or multiple sites
NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) weapons-disadvantages to use as “conventional” weapons (availability, storage, transportation, dispersal, overt/covert, first detected)
WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
BNICE (Biological, Nuclear, Incendiary, Chemical, Explosive weapons)
Security is minimal, all industrial or agricultural chemicals
Top 10 FBI Chemical List: Vesicants/blister agents/mustards Nerve Agents Riot-control agents
1. Ammonia damage skin, eyes, lungs, GIT related to organophosphate pesticide self referred, out-gas other pts
2. Arsine sulfur mustard (H) most toxic but hard to manufacture cumulative effect
3. Chlorine distilled mustard (HD) G agents: Tabun (GA) CN, CS-tear gases act on mucus mem
4. Cyanide nitrogen mustard (HN-1, HN-2, HN-3) Sarin (GB) sublimating, nonpersistent solid
5. Hydrogen Sulfide Lewisite (L) Soman (GD) dispersed as smoke or solution spray
6. Methyl isocyanate phosgene oxime (CX) GF OC (Oleoresin Capiscum)-pepper spray
7. Phosgene V agents: only VX persistent liquid, irriating/inflamm
8. Phosphine Malodorants-stink bombs
9. Sulfur Dioxide no direct physical effect at all
10. Fluorine disperses crowds w/o damaging navigation
No olfactory fatigue
NonPersistent
Disappear within 24 hrs
Gases, volatile liquids
Phosgene oxime (CX)
Tabum (GA)
Sarin (GB), Soman (GD)
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
Mortality
Transmission/Dissemination
Organisms
BIOSAFETY LEVELS
Lab practice and procedure
Level
Examples
Procedures
Weaponization of natural infectious diseases-not easy b/c unstable outside natural host/reservoir (sensitive to environ change and drying, shock, UV rad), needs vector, need
high minimum infectious dose
Need biological engineering:
Grow-large volumes and high concentrations w/o loss of virulence
Enhance-or maintain virulence
Stabilize-transport and storage w/o loss of virulence
Interface-with delivery system
Bacillus anthracis-
Persistent Chemical weapons
remains in environment and on person for 24 hrs or more
viscous liquids
Mustard (HD, HN)
Lewisite (L)
Oleoresin Capiscum (OC)
Category A Category B Category C
high (+ panic/social disruption) Low mortality, moderate morbidity Emerging pathogens
Potential for high morbidity and mortality
Person to person, easily dissem Moderately easy to dissem Availability, ease of
production/dissemination
Bacillus anthracis-Anthrax Brucella species-Brucellosis Hantavirus
Clostridium botulinum toxin Clostridum perfringens-E toxin MDR TB
Yersinia pestis-Plague Burkholderia mallei-Glanders Nipah virus
Variola major-Smallpox Coxiella burnetti-Q fever Tickbourne Encephalitis virus
Francisiella tularensis-Tularemia Ricinus communis toxin-Ricis Yellow Fever
Viral hemorrhagic fevers S. aureus-Enterotoxin B
BSL-1 BSL-2 BSL-3 BSL-4
Not known to cause disease Associated w/ human disease Indigenous/exotic agents Dangerous/exotic agents
Minimal potential hazard Moderate potential hazard associated w/ disease + potential Life threatening
ALL CLINICAL SPECS for aerosol (resp) transmission
Serious/possibly lethal Lethal potential or unknown
pathogen (unknown
transmission routes)
Bacillus subtillis Measles virus M. tuberculosis Ebola Zaire
Naegleria gruberi Salmonella sp. St. Louis encephalitis virus Sin Nombre virus
Infectious canine hepatitis virus Toxoplasma sp. Coxiella burnetti Rift Valley Fever
E. coli Hepatitis B virus
Antibiotic/immunization Negative pressure rooms Separate building or isolated
available for all of these Double airtight doors zone
Blood borne pathogen HEPA (high efficiency particulate Dedicated air supply, HEPA
precautions: air) filter on exhaust ventilation filtered exhaust
-sharps disposables P-100 respiratory protection Entrance through change room
-needle stick procedures Shower on exit
eye and hand protection Full body air supply positive
pressure suits
Stabilized and enhanced virulence, reduced spore size (too large to penetrate alveolar spaces of lung), purify spore preparation (freeze-dry), minimize electrostatic charge on
spores (to ↓ stickiness  airborne), mix with Bentonite or Silica (↑ aerosolization by reducing adhesion to other surfaces/particles)
Aum Shinrikyo-failed attempts b/c needs to be released at night, as dust or liquid spray, non-explosive (kills spores), needs to be contaminant of food or water
Anthrax-tainted letters (2001)-Daschle letters-Florida, NY, Washington, DC…each letter had 2 grams of spores (one trillion spores) 5,100 exposed
22 anthrax cases=11 inhalational (all confirmed), 11 cutaneous (7 confirmed) 5 deaths
Salmonella-Dalles, Oregon (1984)-religious commune “Rajneeshpuram”, Shri Bhagwan Rajneesh sprayed Salmonella over salad bar over 700 cases/month NO deaths
Anand Sheela , Anand Puja sentenced