Bulacan State University

IENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

STS 101

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 Bulacan State University
IENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Weapons of Mass Destruction

8
Title of the Lesson: Weapons of Mass Destruction: Its Definition, Classifications,
Advantages and Disadvantages

Time Frame: 6 hours

INTRODUCTION

Thanks be to God. We are on the last stretch of this course.

Now, we will focus our attention to a very interesting and controversial topic which is
all about Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
The term “weapons of mass destruction” is a former Soviet military term which was
euphemistically used to denote nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. And now, its
definition is broadened to include radiological weapons. After the airliner attack of the World
Trade Center in New York, the term WMD has come to include any means capable of
inflicting mass casualties. Meanwhile, the United Nations in 1948 defined the term “weapons
of mass destruction” (WMD) as “atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons,
lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which
have characteristics comparable in destructive effect to those of the atomic bomb or other
weapons mentioned above”.
When viewed within the context of terrorism and warfare, WMD connotes destruction
and something we should be afraid of. But many of the agents that have been weaponized
are still being used in one form or the other for peaceful and useful purposes from the
production of energy and manufacture of pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, pesticides, etc.
Overtime, what has essentially changed is the technology and engineering applied
to the manufacture and delivery of this agents, and the accompanying interest and
advancement in the means of containing and managing their effects.
Many people reject the manufacture and use of WMD and the international
communities unite and support treaties and agreements to prevent and mitigate the
consequences of using such weapons.
I guess it is high time for us to dig deeper into this topic.

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I.
II.

OBJECTIVES

1. To define weapons of mass destruction.

2. To classify weapons of mass destruction into biological, chemical, nuclear and

radiological.

3. To provide examples of weapons of mass destruction according to

classification.

4. To enumerate and explain the positive and negative effects of weapons of mass
destruction.

DISCUSSION

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Term and Definition

The Term Weapons of Mass Destruction

The term Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) has been the subject of different
discussions. According to Quilop (2006), weapon of mass destruction “refers to nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons”. He continued that in 1948, the term was adopted when
the United Nations (UN) Commission for Conventional Armaments needed to decide on the
types of weapons to be included and excluded from its view. Also, according to him, the
term WMD was used due to the fact that nuclear, biological and chemical weapons had
attained political and strategic significance.

Furthermore, in the book entitled Chemical and Biological Warfare Overview by the
United States Airforce Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies, the term WMD was
discussed with the inclusion of nuclear weapons with chemical and biological weapons. This

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discussion focused on chemical and biological threats since these threats are considered
to be more likely than the threat of nuclear weapons.

Also, in the paper of Win and Masum (2002), they explained that WMD was first
known as NBC weapons meaning nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. They
expounded that radiological weapon were later included in the arsenal. In their essay, they
also mentioned that, nowadays, WMDs also consist of potential weapons based on new
technologies such as genetics, proteomics, artificial intelligence and robotics which all have
the potentials for mass destruction. This means that the world has arrived a new era of
WMD” (Parthemore, 2019).

An example of weapon of mass destruction. This Photo by Unknown

Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

People in operation to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. This Photo by Unknown Author is
licensed under CC BY-NC

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A devastating explosion caused by weapon of mass destruction. This

Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Definitions of Weapon of Mass Destruction

Here are some of the definitions of the term “weapons of mass destruction” from
different sources:

For the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the
Pacific (2020), weapons of mass destructions “constitute a class of weaponry with the
potential to, in a single moment, kill millions of civilians, jeopardize the natural environment,
and fundamentally alter the world and the lives of future generations through their
catastrophic effects.”

According to the Senate Bill 2449 of the Republic of the Philippines, weapons of mass
destruction “refer to weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or being
used in such a manner as to create large numbers of casualties during a single event or
incident.” Specifically, “weapons of mass destruction are created to kill large numbers of
people in a single blow” (Win and Masum, 2002). To Encyclopedia Britannica, these are the
weapons that are capable of inflicting death and destruction in a massive scale which may
bring grievous threat if by chance present in hands of hostile power.

In the page of fbi.gov, definitions of weapons of mass destruction according to the

United States (US) law were given. These definitions are: (1) “A destructive device, such as
an explosive or incendiary bomb, rocket, or grenade”; (2) “A weapon that is designed to
cause death or serious injury through toxic or poisonous chemicals”; (3) “A weapon that
contains a biological agent or toxin”; and /or (4) “A weapon that is designed to release
dangerous levels of radiation or radioactivity.”

Although, there are different and sometimes inconsistent definitions of weapons of

mass destruction across the globe, it is essential that the specific meaning intended is
evident whenever the term is used (Carus, 2012).

Classifications of Weapons of Mass Destruction

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Biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological are considered as the classifications of

weapons of mass destruction. These weapons are described according to their nature,
characteristics, effectivity and delivery.

Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction

Crude forms of biological warfare have been employed since 300 B.C., when the
decaying corpses of animals and humans were placed near water and food supplies of
adversaries. As years go by, different diseases, including plague and smallpox, were used
as agents. Catapults were one vehicle used to introduced infected tissues. Blankets have
been employed to transmit smallpox to a target population. During World War I cholera and
plague were thought to be used in Italy and Russia while anthrax was presumably used to
infect animals in Romania.
Biological warfare capability in the United States and other countries developed
rapidly during World War II.

A. Nature

Biological weapon, also known as germ weapon, is defined as any of a number

of disease-producing agents that may be utilized as weapons against humans,
animals, and plants. Disease – producing agents of this weapon includes
bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi and toxins (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

B. Characteristics

Biological Weapons have the characteristics of low visibility, high potency,

easy delivery, and accessibility. When used, disease producing agents must be
highly lethal and robust (Win and Masum, 2002).

C. Effectivity

Biological weapons of mass destruction may be capable of causing deaths

and are not capable of mass destruction of infrastructure, buildings, or equipment.
It has the potential for starting widespread pandemics which is the difficulty of
controlling disease effects and its fear that inspires. Because of the indiscriminate
nature of these weapons, most countries have agreed to ban the entire class
(Encyclopaedia Britannica).

D. Delivery

There are 3 factors to be considered in the delivery of this weapon: (1) Particle
size and its accuracy and precision, depending on the agent, may determine how

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it will be filtered, inhaled or exhaled (2); surviving dispersion by the weather; and
(3) the packaging for the weapon to remain active (Win and Masum, 2002).

E. Classification of Agents

1. Viruses: Viruses require living cells to propagate. They are strongly

dependent on the cells of the host they infected. Viruses can produce
diseases that generally do not respond to antibiotics but which may be
responsive to antiviral compounds (Win and Masum, 2002).

An example of a virus. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

2. Bacteria: These are small free-living organisms mostly grown on solid or

liquid culture media. Bacterial structure consists of nucleus, cytoplasm,
and cell membrane. Its reproduction occurred simple division. And, the
diseases they produce are often treated by specific therapy with antibiotics
(Win and Masum, 2002).

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The photo shows an example of a bacteria. This Photo by Unknown Author is

3. Chlamydia: It is an obligate intracellular parasite that are not capable of

producing their own energy source. In comparison with bacteria, they are
responsive to broad-spectrum antibiotics. And like viruses, chlamydia
requires living cells for reproduction (Win and Masum, 2002).

An example of chlamydia. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY-SA-NC

4. Rickettsia: These are microorganisms with characteristics that are

common format to both bacteria and viruses. Like bacteria, they possess
metabolic enzymes and cell membranes, utilize oxygen, and are
susceptible to broad-spectrum antibiotics. They resemble viruses wherein
they grow only within living cells (Win and Masum, 2002).

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This photo shows a rickettsia. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY-NC

5. Fungi: These are non - photosynthetic primitive plants that can grow
without oxygen and can draw nutrition from decaying vegetable matter.
Most fungi form spores which are operationally significant. Their free-living
forms are found in soil. Fungal diseases may be treated using various
antimicrobial (Win and Masum, 2002).

This photo shows minute fungi. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

6. Toxins: These are poisonous substances that are produced and derived
from living plants, animals, and microorganisms. Some toxins are created
using chemical means. Toxins may be treated using specific antisera and
selected pharmacologic agents (Win and Masum, 2002).

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An example of toxin. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

F. Intrinsic Features of Biological Agents

The potential use of biological agents as weapons is influenced by their

intrinsic features. These features include infectivity, virulence, toxicity,
pathogenicity, incubation period, lethality, transmissibility and stability. The
unique ability of many biological agents is to multiply in the body and increase
their effect (Win and Masum, 2002).

G. Examples of Biological Warfare Agents

1. Smallpox virus: This is an orthopoxviral with a narrow host range confined

to humans. Today, the virus only exists in two laboratory repositories in the
United States and Russia. If appearance of human cases outside the
laboratory exist, the virus is used as a biological weapon (Win and Masum,
2002).

2. Anthrax: It is a zoonotic disease caused by gram positive, rod – shaped

bacteria known Bacillus anthracis. These are found in natural soil and
commonly affects domestic and wild animnals (Centers for Disease and
Control Prevention, 2017). According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), there are two types of this disease. The first one is the cutaneous
anthrax which develops when a bacterial organism from infected animal
tissues becomes deposited under the skin; and the second one is the
inhalation anthrax that is caused by inhaling the bacterial organism into the
lungs (Win and Masum, 2002).

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Anthrax. This Photo by Unknown Author is

3. Brucellosis: It is a disease spread from animal to human caused by one

of the four species of bacteria including Brucella melitensis, B. abortus, B.
suis, and B. canis. These bacteria are small gram-negative, aerobic, non-
motile coccobacilli that grow within monocytes and macrophages. They
reside in tissue and bone-marrow, and are extremely difficult to eradicate
even with antibiotic therapy. Their natural pool is found in domestic
animals, such as goats, sheep, and camels (B. melitensis), cattle (B.
abortus), and pigs (B. suis). Brucella canis is primarily a pathogen of dogs,
and only occasionally causes disease in humans (Win and Masum, 2002).

4. Botulism: It is a serious illness that attacks the body nerves (Centers for
Disease and Control Prevention, 2017). It is caused by intoxication with
any of the seven distinct neurotoxins produced by the bacillus, Clostridium
botulinum (Win and Masum, 2002). A biological warfare attack with
botulinum toxin delivered by aerosol would cause symptoms that affect the
human nervous system (Southern Nevada Health District, 2020).

5. Clostridium perfringens: This is a common anaerobic spore – forming

gram – positive bacterium associated with three distinct disease
syndromes; gas gangrene or clostridial myonecrosis, enteritis necroticans,
and clostridium food poisoning. Each of these syndromes has very specific
requirements for delivering inocula of Clostridium perfringens to specific
sites to induce disease, and are thus not feasible as a biological warfare
agent (Win and Masum, 2002).

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction

A. Nature

Originally, chemical weapons did not become true weapons of mass

destruction until they were introduced in their modern form in World War I
(Encyclopaedia Britannica). Chemical weapons are classified according to their
volatility as persistent and non – persistent agents (Win and Masum, 2002).
A persistent agent is characterized with high boiling point, low volatility, and
very slow dispersion. As a contact or inhalation hazard, it continuously produces
threats in a long span of time after delivery (Win and Masum, 2002).

A non-persistent agent evaporates quickly, disperses rapidly and produces an

immediate and short-lived hazard. They are released as airborne particles, liquids
or gasses. Intoxication usually results from the inhalation of the chemical agent.
These chemical agents are characterized with low boiling points, high vapor
pressure and disperse very quick. Non-persistent agents can be made persistent
and more adhesive by producing a highly viscous substance formed by dissolving
chemical agent polymers in the weapon agent (Win and Masum, 2002).

B. Characteristics

Characteristics of chemical weapon consist of physical properties including

physical state, vapor pressure, density, odors and solubility; chemical properties
that determine its abundance, stability and reactivity; and toxicological which
describes its ability to react in the same way from species to species when the
same amount of agent is used on them (Win and Masum, 2002).

C. Effectiveness

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To measure the effectiveness of a chemical agent, the capacity of an agent to

produce the maximum number of casualties or amount of disruption of operations
with the least amount of agent is determined. However, there are factors that
influence the effectiveness of a chemical agent. Among these factors are the
amount of agent released, environmental factors, and the size of the target
population. The effectiveness of a chemical weapon can be rather uncertain. Also,
the duration of effectiveness of a chemical agent depends on several
meteorological factors: (1) wind affects the dispersion of some chemical agents
in a specific topographical area; (2) temperature may dictate the persistency of
some chemical agents; (3) rain affects the disposition and dilution/concentration
of some chemical reagents; and (4) atmospheric stability determines the vapor
state and atmospheric persistence of some chemical agents (Win and Masum,
2002).

D. Delivery

Chemical agents are delivered in consideration of its states and forms. Some
chemical agents are delivered through ammunition which is designed to provide
a container to effectively reach and affect the target area. This method can
accommodate existing weapon systems and weapons. Chemical ammunition
utilizes long – range artillery, rockets, ground missiles, aerial bombs, spray tanks,
mines and grenades. Another method of chemical agent delivery is the use of
binary weapons technology. It forms chemical weapons agent before the release
of the agent itself. This is done when reactions of the compounds in the missile
or shell takes place before it hits the target. Chemical weapon agents using binary
technology allows for safer handling, storage and disposal (Win and Masum,
2002).

E. Handling/Working with Chemical Agents

There are two important things to note when handling/working with chemical
agents are the protective equipment and decontamination.

Protective equipment forms a physical barrier to prohibit contacts between the

body and the chemical weapons agent. An example of a predominant protection
item is gas masks. These masks are made of a face piece, impermeable material
and is fitted with an aerosol filter containing a carbon filter in canister form. Gas
masks are capable of mechanical filtration which removes aerosols. This process
is done because the filter of the gas mask contains several elements and is
capable of absorbing the majority of chemical weapons agents in aerosol form.
For skin and body protection, there are two types of special protective clothing.
First is nylon fabrics lined with butyl rubber and is impermeable to liquids. The
other one is fabrics permeable to air and moisture but impermeable to chemical
weapons (Win and Masum, 2002).

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Protective equipment. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Gloves for protection. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

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Military in their protective suits. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Decontamination plays a vital key role in the safety and security against
chemical weapon agents. When vehicles, men and materials are coming in
contact with chemical agents, all of these must be decontaminated. Personal
decontamination must be secured and most of the times available in standard kit.
Examples of decontaminates are fuller’s earth powder to absorb liquid agents and
some in liquid forms like alcohol solutions of sodium phenolate used for nerve
agents and chloramine solutions for mustard gas. For individuals exposed to
several nerve agents, autoject devices like atropine are used and tablets like
pralidoxime or oxime are given. Equipment decontamination may use diethylene
triamine, ethyleneglycol monomethylether, and sodium hydroxide to penetrate the
contaminated material and destroy the chemical weapons agent. Another way of
decontamination is utilizing superheated steam, hot air, boiling and bleaching
powder for ground contamination (Win and Masum, 2002).

F. Types of Chemical Weapons

1. Nerve agents: These are highly toxic chemical agents that poison the nervous
system and disrupt vital bodily functions. Nerve agents are usually used with
an association with a technology to form binary weapons technology (Win and
Masum, 2002).

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Effect of nerve agent. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY-SA-NC

Effect of nerve agent. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

2. Blistering agents or mustard agents: These are chemical weapon agents

that cause wounds which resemble blisters or burns. These agents cause
severe tissue damage to eyes, respiratory system and internal organs. This
chemical weapon agent is used not only to produce blister but to force enemy

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troops to wear protective equipment thereby reducing their efficiency.

Blistering agents can contaminate almost anything it touches for long periods
of time (Win and Masum, 2002).

This photo shows blisters. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

3. Blood agents: These are agents that are absorbed into the body through the
action of breathing. Once in the body and blood stream, they cause severe
damage by acting on the enzyme. Some of the major substances that belong
to the blood agents are hydrogen cyanide, cyanogen chloride and arsine (Win
and Masum, 2002).

Containers of cynide. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

4. Choking agents: These also known as pulmonary agents which are

composed of chemical compounds that disrupt normal breathing. These

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chemical weapon agents include gasses like chlorine, ammonia, phosgene,

organohalides, and nitrogen oxides (Ravi, 2013).

Effect of pulmonary agent.

This Photo by Unknown Author is This Photo by Unknown Author is
licensed under CC BY licensed under CC BY

5. Psychotomimetic agents: These are chemical agents that reliably and dose-
dependently. It induces psychosis, often including hallucinations and
delusions in normal individuals (Aghajanian, 2008).

A photo showing hallucinations lifted

from: https://medicalxpress.com/

Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction

A. Nature

Nuclear weapons are designed to release energy in an explosive manner as

a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two processes.
Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs or A-bombs. Fusion
weapons are also referred to as thermonuclear bombs which is commonly known
as hydrogen bombs or H bombs. These nuclear weapons released at least a
portion of energy to enable destruction (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

B. Characteristics

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Nuclear weapons are relatively small, light and inexpensive (Rambousky and
Sabath, 2013). It can produce destruction depending on the potential energy that
can be released from the nuclei of atoms. Nuclear weapons use the basic
approach of fission and fusion events to create and release a huge amount of
nuclear energy in a very short period of time (Nuclear Matters Handbook, 2020).

C. Effectiveness

In general, nuclear weapons within seconds or minutes of detonation, can

produce blast, thermal radiation, and prompt ionizing radiation causing significant
destruction. The delayed effects, such as radioactive fallout and other
environmental effects, inflict damage over an extended period ranging from hours
to years (AtomicArchive.com).

The energy produced per gram of nuclear weapons is millions of times greater
for nuclear explosives as compared to chemical explosives. Specifically, the use
of nuclear weapons can result to: (1) Nuclear winter which is caused by the
absorption of sunlight when large amounts of soot are injected into the
atmosphere by the widespread burning of cities and petroleum stocks destroyed
in a nuclear attack; (2) Air bursts where the explosion occurs above the ground
which sends out shock waves like an expanding soap bubble; (3) Surface bursts
if the blast is intended to destroy a buried or very hard structure like a missile silo
or a dam and where the shock waves are transmitted through the soil; (4) Sub-
surface bursts if the explosion happened below ground level which can create
craters and destroy buried structures; and (5) Earth-penetration (Win and Masum,
2002), wherein, these weapons can destroy targets deep underground or in
tunnels. It can produce more effective agent-kill mechanisms. For this situation,
there are uncertainties associated in nuclear weapons’ effectiveness. These
include weapon design, actual and depth of burst, and site geology and damage
creation (Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons, 2005).

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A nuclear weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC

BY-NC

A nuclear missle. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY

D. Delivery

Most nuclear weapons are designed for a specific delivery system either by a
platform or any capable vehicles. Each system has warheads to hold the actual
nuclear device and which ensures that the weapons will function and will reach
the objective. Nuclear weapons are launched either in sea using submarine,
ground that is launched from hardened silos buried in the ground, or in air using
aircrafts (Nuclear Matters Handbook, 2020).

E. Types of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are classified according to nuclear reactions and design

details.

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1. Pure fission weapons: These weapons use only fission reactions as a

source of energy. Fission bombs operate by rapidly assembling a sub-
critical configuration of fissile material into one that is highly supercritical
(Win and Masum, 2002). An example of this weapon is called atomic
bombs or A-bomb.

A fission weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is

licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Explosion from a fission weapon. This Photo by Unknown

Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

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Mechanism of a fission weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY

2. Combined fission/fusion weapons are created when fusion reactions are

used to enhance the destructive effects of fission weapons. All weapons
that use fusion require a fission bomb to provide the energy to initiate the
fusion reactions (Win and Masum, 2002).

Fission/fussion weapons. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under

CC BY-SA

3. Boosted fission weapons applies fusion to useful weapons. When the

bomb core of this weapon undergoes enough fission, it becomes hot

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enough to ignite fusion reaction which accelerates, producing an intense

burst of high-energy that causes a correspondingly intense burst of fissions
in the core (Win and Masum, 2002).

Boosted fission weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

4. Cobalt bombs and other salted bombs are nuclear weapons similar to
fission-fusion-fission weapons. This bomb uses non-fissionable blanket of
a specially chosen salting isotope which captures the escaping fusion
neutrons to breed a radioactive isotope that maximizes the fallout hazard
from the weapon (Win and Masum, 2002).

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Salted bomb. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Radiological Weapons

A. Nature

Radiological weapons disperse radioactive agents to inflict injury, cause

contamination, damage and death. These weapons use a conventional explosion
or medium to disperse radioactive contaminants (International Risk Management
Institute Inc, 2020). In general, radiological weapons are used for terror, political
and area denial purposes. Exposure to radioactive material brought by these
weapons act may experience harm or fatal sufferings (Cordesman, n.d.).

B. Characteristics

Radiological weapon utilizes radioactivity as its main weapon. Radioactive

materials of these weapons are often sintered in ceramic or metallic pellets.
Radiation produced by these weapons can be alpha, beta and gamma radiation.
Such weapon does not produce nuclear yields but spreads contamination.
Radiological weapons produce far less immediate damage but it can create
enormous potential for intimidation (Cordesman, n.d.).

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Protective suit for radiological weapons. This Photo by Unknown

Author is licensed under CC BY

C. Effectiveness

Radiation produces radiation-induced injuries and there are three types of these
namely: (1) external irradiation that occurs when all or parts of the body is exposed
to radiation and can be treated like any other patient; (2) contamination with
radioactive materials either in solid, liquids or gaseous form that may bring harm
externally and/or internally; and (3) incorporation or the uptake of radioactive
materials by body cells, tissues, and target organs such as bone, liver, thyroid, or
kidney and are distributed throughout the body based upon their chemical properties.
All of these can happen in combination and can be complicated by physical injury or

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illness. In such a case, serious medical problems always have priority over concerns
about (Cordesman, n.d.).

Effects of radiation. This Photo

by Unknown Author is licensed This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-
under CC BY ND

Effects of radiation. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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D. Delivery

Radiological devices are released within forms of devices and bombs. The
release considers factors like geographic area, wind and the strength of the
radioactive material used in the weapon (Lee, 2007). Radioactive materials inside
the radiological dispersal devices or dirty bombs are released through aerosols and
explosive means. Another way to release the radioactive materials is through food
and water contamination (Cordesman, n.d.).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Indeed, man has a big role and involvement to the long history of earth. Man,
experienced ups and downs because of the natural disasters and their own induced
destruction. Man used different kinds of weapons to inflict harm, threat, danger and
destruction to one another to achieve their own agenda in which some are gaining wealth
and sustaining power and territory. Aside from achieving their desires, some who used these
weapons are also affected either positively or negatively. Below are some of the positive
and negative effects of weapons of mass destruction:

Chemical Weapons

Disadvantages: Chemical weapons when used can cause social, economic and environmental
effects (Ekzayez, Flecknoe, Lillywhite, Patel, Papamichail, and Elbahtimy, 2019).
A. Social effects may include physical injuries and psychological impacts.
a. Physical injuries include damage to life and health.
b. Psychological effects due to loss of family and community members and
the terror caused by its impact can cause widespread confusion, anxiety
and a sense of helplessness and entrapment among victims which could
last years (Integrity Initiative, 2019).
B. Economic effects are felt due to loss of business and revenues, damages to
properties and establishments and commercial interruptions.
C. Environmental effects not only cause damage to the natural landscape. It brings
rapid loss of vegetation and severe soil erosion. These situations contribute to the
negative increase in species population. Also, high concentrations of toxins
persist in the land and ecosystems lead to irreversible damage (Information for
Action, 2015).

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Chemical weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY-ND

Chemical weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is

licensed under CC BY

Advantages:
A. Collective efforts from around the world are brought in to establish a standard system
that will ensure that all toxic chemicals, and their precursors, are only used for
purposes.
B. Multiple technologies were developed to test, determine and counter the possible
effects of these types of weapons.
C. Responses and exchange of information that will help to protect the population,
assistance and group experts to respond to these scenarios were improved.
D. Legal accountability and awareness through education and outreach are emphasized
and conducted (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 2020).

Nuclear Weapons

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Disadvantages:
A. Billions of people can immediately be affected when nuclear weapons are released.
B. It spreads radiation that stays years and destructs crops and wildlife and induce
pollution of seas and water supplies.
C. These situations may bring starvation even to those who are not present in the
nuclear explosion (Information for Action, 2015).
D. Infrastructure and economic loss were also observed to be the negative effects of
these weapons.

Explosion from a nuclear weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Advantages:
A. Nuclear weapons reinforce nationalism in the sense of effective distribution of
needed items to citizens and the world beyond.
B. It serves as a deterrent to a global conflict.
C. It can reduce threats to a country’s military forces.
D. It can also help to create new technologies in other sectors like medicine,
engineering and more (https://futureofworking.com/).

Biological Weapons

Disadvantages:
A. Biological agents can pose difficult public health challenges causing deaths in a
short span of time while being difficult to contain. Attacks using these weapons
can also result in an epidemic (World Health Organization, 2020).
B. Biological weapons may also be used to produce devastating effects to food crops
to delay production and induce famine and hunger. However, this strategy may

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not be effective especially for neighboring countries, where agricultural conditions

are similar to aggressor (Harigel, 2001).
C. And when unleashed to the environment, biological weapons, lead to serious
threats to wildlife and their habitats which are impossible to reverse (Information
for Action, 2015).

Effects of biological weapons. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Advantages:
Two positive effects of these weapons are the avoidance of physical destruction to
troops and civil population, and it ends a war quickly (Harigel, 2001).

A. In general, public surveillance and response activities with specific

emphasis are strengthened. The emphasis includes (World Health
Organization, 2020):

1. More effective national surveillance and monitoring of outbreaks of illness.

These encompass alert and response systems at all levels that can detect
diseases that may be deliberately caused;

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2. Improvement in the communication between multiple sectors, including public

health, water supply, food safety, nuclear safety and poison-control;

3. Improvement in the assessments of vulnerability, and effective communication

about risks to both professionals and the public;

4. Intensive preparation for handling the psychosocial consequences of the

deliberate use of pathogens and chemicals to cause harm; and

5. Effective contingency plans for an enhanced response capacity by all sectors.

B. Also, a system to prioritize biological agents according to their risk to

national security is developed (The College of Physicians in Philadelphia,
2020). It consists of three (3) categories namely:

1. Category A agents, which are the highest priority, are disease agents that
pose a risk to national security because they can be transmitted from person
to person and/or result in high mortality, and/or have high potential to cause
social disruption. These are anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia,
and a collection of viruses that cause hemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola,
Marburg, Lassa, and Machupo. Most of disease agents exist in nature, but
they could be manipulated to make them more dangerous (The College of
Physicians in Philadelphia, 2020).

2. Category B agents are moderately easy to disseminate and result in low

mortality. These include brucellosis, glanders, Q fever, ricin toxin, typhus
fever, and other agents (The College of Physicians in Philadelphia, 2020).;
and

3. Category C agents include emerging disease agents that could be engineered

for mass dissemination in the future, such as Nipah virus (The College of
Physicians in Philadelphia, 2020).

Radiological Weapons

Disadvantages:
A. Explosion of radiological weapons like dirty bomb can cause significant short-and
long-term health and psychological problems.
B. These weapons can leave costly damage due to the costs of evacuation,
relocation and cleanup.
C. Buildings of affected areas must be demolished, and debris must be removed.
D. The access to a contaminated area must be strictly limited for years. This is to be
cleaned well enough to meet environmental standards to ensure the protection
and safety of the public against harmful gamma rays that could penetrate human
skin and potentially cause cellular damage.

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E. The release can also cause significant environmental and economic damage
(Nuclear Threat Initiative, 2015).

Radiological weapon. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Advantages:
A. The development of shielding and protective equipment which are useful in
working with radiation.
B. The continues research and development of technologies that can be used to
lessen and minimize the impact of radioactivity and utilize these impacts to help
human being, the economy and the environment.
C. Warnings, responses and surveillance are improved.
D. Rules and policies on the control and proliferation of these weapons are crafted
and imposed.

SUMMARY

This chapter emphasize the following topics:

a. About the definitions of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD);

b. The different classifications of WMD as well as the nature, characteristics, effectiveness, delivery,
examples, etc. of each class and
c. The advantages and disadvantages of WMD.

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SUGGESTED READINGS AND WEBSITES

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Ballistic Missiles
By Richard F. Mesic
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1314/MR1314.ch8.pdf

Elimination of weapons of mass destruction: lessons from the last quarter-century

By Philipp C. Bleek, Chen Kane and Joshua H. Pollack
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10736700.2016.1213493

Future of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Their Nature and Role in 2030

By John P. Caves and Seth W. Carus
https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=755104

ICM Policy Paper: Weapons of Mass Destruction

By International Peace Institute
https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ICM-Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction.pdf

Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Risks for companies and scientific institutions
By General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD
https://fas.org/irp/world/netherlands/wmdrisks.pdf

Strategic Culture and WMD Decision Making

By Kerry M. Kartchner
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230618305_4

Weapons of Mass Destruction and Human Rights

By Peter Weiss and John Burroughs
https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/

Weapons of Mass Destruction—Threats and Responses

By Christine Gosden and Derek Gardener
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1184257/

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GLOSSARY
Abundance – a characteristic of having a large amount or pool.

Aerosol – materials in which colloidal suspension particles are dispersed in air.

Airbursts – occurs when an explosion happened above the ground

Anthrax - is a zoonotic disease caused by gram positive, rod – shaped bacteria known Bacillus anthracis

Alpha radiation – a type of ionizing radiation composed of alpha particles usually penetrated by sheets of
paper.

Bacteria – are small free-living organisms mostly grown on solid or liquid culture media

Beta radiation – a type of ionizing radiation composed of beta particles that can pass through skins and is
penetrated by body tissue.

Biological agent – is any of the disease – producing agents that can be used as weapon usually for warfare.

Biological weapon – are germ weapons that can be used for humans, plants and animals.

Blistering agents – also known as mustard agents, are chemical weapon agents that cause wounds which
resemble blisters or burns

Blood agents – are agents that are absorbed into the body through the action of breathing

Botulism - a serious illness that attacks the body nerves causing intoxication.

Brucellosis – is a disease spread from animal to human caused by one of the four species of bacteria
including Brucella melitensis, B. abortus, B. suis, and B. canis.

Canister – a round cylindrical container made of metal used for storage usually food and chemicals.

Chemical agent - chemical substance with toxic properties that can be used to create weapons.

Chemical ammunition – are chemical delivery devices

Chemical weapon – are volatile either persistent or non – persistent that may cause harm, danger and
destruction to humans, resources and environment.

Chlamydia – is an obligate intracellular parasite that are not capable of producing their own energy source

Chloramine solutions – are materials like bleach, disinfectants and oxidators

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Choking agents – also known as pulmonary agents are composed of chemical compounds that disrupt
normal breathing.

Clostridium perfringens – is a common anaerobic spore – forming gram – positive bacterium associated
with three distinct disease syndromes; gas gangrene or clostridial myonecrosis, enteritis necroticans, and
clostridium food poisoning.

Density – of a substance is defined as the mass per unit volume.

Dirty bombs – is a radiological dispersal device combined with conventional explosive with radioactive
material.

Dispersion – action or process of distribution

Earth-penetration – occurs when weapons destroy targets deep underground or in tunnels.

Fungi – are non - photosynthetic primitive plants that can grow without oxygen and can draw nutrition
from decaying vegetable matter.

Gamma radiation – a highly penetrating type of ionizing radiation composed of rays that require dense
materials to penetrate.

Gas mask - a protective mask that is used to cover a person's face as a defense against poisonous gas.

High potency – a characteristics of having rich content

Impermeable – materials that prohibits fluid to pass through

Incubation period – of bacteria/ virus is the time required to infect

Infectivity – the capability of causing infection

Ingestion – the process of taking substances into body usually through absorption

Lethal - an indication of a specific level, for instance level of toxicity

Low visibility – a characteristic of having reduced visibility

Mustard gas – also known as sulfur mustard that causes severe burning of skin, eyes and respiratory tract

Nationalism – support for the interests and identity of one’s own country

Nerve agents – are highly toxic chemical agents that poison the nervous system and disrupt vital bodily
functions.

Non-persistent agents – are agents that evaporate quickly, disperse rapidly and produce an immediate and
short-lived hazard.

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Nuclear fission – the process of splitting atoms into two or more nuclei as products.

Nuclear fusion – the process of combining two or more atoms to produce a large amount of energy.

Nuclear weapons – are weapons designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear
fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two processes.

Nuclear winter – usually a layer of smoke and dust in the atmosphere blocking the sun's rays due to
abnormal cold and darkness after detonating nuclear weapons.

Odor – the smell or fragrance

Pathogenicity – the characteristic of causing diseases

Persistent agents – are characterized with high boiling point, low volatility, and very slow dispersion

Physical state – existence in either solid, liquid or gaseous form

Psychotomimetic agents – are chemical agents that reliably and dose-dependently induce a psychosis,
often including hallucinations and delusions in normal individuals.

Radiation – the he emission of energy in the form of waves or particles

Radiological weapons – are weapons disperse radioactive agents to inflict injury, cause contamination,
damage and death.

Reactivity – the ability of a substance to undergo chemical reaction

Rickettsia – are microorganisms with characteristics that are common to both bacteria and viruses

Robust – the ability to adapt and grow

Salt bombs – are nuclear weapon designed to produce enhanced amounts of radioactivity

Smallpox virus - is na orthopoxvirus with a narrow host range confined to humans.

Solubility – the ability of either solid, liquid of gas to be dissolved in a given solvent.

Stability – the characteristic of being independent

Sub – surface bursts – occurs when an explosion happened below the ground

Surface bursts – occurs when an explosion happened within the ground surface

Toxicity – the level of toxins or poisonousness

Toxins – are poisonous substances that are produced and derived from living plants, animals, and
microorganisms.

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Transmissibility – the characteristic of being able to pass from one organism to another

Vapor pressure – the tendency of the material to be transformed into gas

Virulence – the severity of the harmful virus

Virus – an agent that strongly depends on the cells of the host they infected.

Warheads – the explosive head of a nuclear weapon

Weapons of Mass Destructions (WMD) – are weapons created to deliver high order of destruction in a
single event causing social, economic and environmental damages.

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