Chemical and Biological Weapons Research By: Ethan Carter, Georgia Matz, and Jared Rosenberger

What is a biological weapon? A biological weapon is the deliberate spreading of disease amongst humans, animals, and plants. Biological weapons (BW) introduce a bacteria or virus into an environment for hostile purposes, that is not prepared to defend itself from the intruder.(A chemical weapon is any weapon that uses a manufactured chemical to kill people.)

History of chemical and biological weapons Chemical and biological weapons date back to 1500 B.C. The German army was the first to use chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, during the First World War, although their attacks with biological weapons were on a rather small scale and were not particularly successful: covert operations using both anthrax and glanders attempted to infect animals directly or to contaminate animal feed in several of their enemy countries.

Anthrax Cutaneous anthrax occurs one to seven days (usually two to five) after spores enter the body through breaks in the skin. Cutaneous anthrax begins as a small pimple-like lesion (a sore) that enlarges in 24-48 hours to form a "malignant pustule" at the site of the infection. This sore is round with a raised edge. The central area of infection is surrounded by small blisters filled with bloody or clear fluid containing many bacteria. A black scab forms at the site of the sore. The surrounding area may be swollen and painful and may last long after the scab forms.

Botulinum Toxin Botulinum toxins are the most deadly toxins known to mankind. Symptoms include: Blurred vision, dilated pupils, difficulty swallowing, difficulty speaking, an altered voice, and muscle weakness.

Pros to biological weapons Chemical and biological weapons research makes jobs. Chemical and biological weapons damage only organisms, and not surrounding buildings.

Pros continued... 3. Chemical and biological weapons are cheap to produce, and can be stored in large quantities because they are small. 4. In biological warfare scenario, you will notice that biological weapons can be used easily.

Cons to Biological weapons The effects of any biological or chemical weapon are undetectable until the time period of which it becomes active it is like killing an unarmed man. The effects of most chemical and or biological weapons seem too brutal to be used as a weapon like anthrax for instance creates skin ulcers like these. What if the effects of the weapons can’t be controlled and we get infected. Another effect is that it can spread through the ground plants and animals infecting what we eat.

What biological weapons can do to you... botulinum toxin Ebola

Video Backup link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7cR7cod0TM

Works Cited Frischknecht, Friedrich. "The History of Biological Warfare." EMBO Reports. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326439/>. Feature, Daniel. "Biological and Chemical Terror History." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/biological-chemical-terror-history>. "Biological Warfare Pros and Cons - HRFnd." HRFnd. 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://healthresearchfunding.org/biological-warfare-pros-cons/>.

Works cited continued... "Biological Weapons." Critical Issues. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/fact-sheets/critical-issues/4579-biological-weapons#what>. "Biological Warfare: Get Facts on Examples and History." EMedicineHealth. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.emedicinehealth.com/biological_warfare/article_em.htm>. Brain, Marshall, and Susan Nasr. "How Biological and Chemical Warfare Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/biochem-war2.htm>.