Thursday, September 19, 2019
Biological Attack Essay -- essays research papers
Biological Attack      In Living Terrors by Michael T. Osterholm and John Schwartz, the threat of biological attack on the United States is introduced to the public. Using Living Terrors and a number of sources that are extremely knowledgeable on the question of preparedness of the United States to a biological attack, I will argue that the United States is in no way prepared to handle a biological attack on its soil.      Nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are all considered weapons of mass destruction. However, unlike chemical or nuclear weapons, biological weapons combine maximum destructiveness and easy availability. According to Richard Betts, â€Å"nuclear arms have great killing capacity but are hard to get; chemical weapons are easy to get but lack such killing capacity; biological agents have both qualities†(9). In 1993, a study by the Office of Technology Assessment concluded that â€Å"a single airplane delivering 100 kilograms of anthrax spores by aerosol on a clear, calm night over Washington D.C., could kill up to 1 to 3 million people in a three hundred square mile area surrounding Washington D.C.†(Osterholm and Schwartz 9).      Biological weapons are a dangerous threat to the United States. According to Eric Noji, associate director of bioterrorism preparedness for the Center for Disease Control, â€Å"the threat of chemical and biological intentional releases is a clear and present danger†(Fialka et al B1). However, there is evidence that the United States is not taking the threat of a biological attack seriously. The investigating branch of Congress named the General Accounting Office or GAO, â€Å"charged that the government has failed to properly manage the medical stockpiles developed to protect the public from the scourge of potentially devastating biological weapons†(Cohen M2). Lack of Government funding against a biological attack is also evidence that the United States is not taking the threat of bioterrorism seriously. Mohammad N. Akhter, who is the executive director of the American Public Health Association, was quoted as saying that he â€Å"barely had the budget to deal adequately with a severe outbreak of the flu, let alone contain a smallpox epidemic†(A23). In the fiscal year of 2000: The Department of Health and Human Services received $238 million out of a ... ... C. Byrd has claimed that Mr. Thompson’s comments on 60 minutes â€Å"were not credible --- especially in light of Thompson’s request for nearly $1 billion in emergency anti-terrorism projects†(Connolly A29).      Osterholm, Michael T, Ph.D., M.P.H., and John Schwartz. Living Terrors. New York: Delacorte Press, 2000. Betts, Richard K. â€Å"Biological Weapons Are a Serious Threat.†Biological and Chemical Weapons. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. 7. Cohen, Stephen L. â€Å"The Nation/Medicine; U.S. a sitting Duck for Bioterrorism.†Los Angeles Times 27 February 2000: M2. Fialka, John, Marilyn Chase, Neil King and Ron Winslow. â€Å"Are We      Prepared for the Unthinkable? --- Officials Fear U.S. Ill-Equipped To Cope With Biological Or Chemical Terrorism.†Wall Street      Journal 18 September 2001: B1. Akhter, Mohammad. â€Å"Bioterrorism: How Unready We Are.†     Washington Post 10 October: A23. Connolly, Ceci. â€Å"Senators Criticize HHS Chief On Readiness; Bio-      Terrorism Comments ‘Will Not Really Help’.†Washington Post 4 October 2001: A29.
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