Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in February 2004, the Secret Service acknowl-
edged that ricin had also been found at a White
House mail-processing center in early November
2003 [77]. Officials suspect that the October and
November 2003 ricin attacks are related since both
letters were signed “Fallen Angel” and contained
ricin of poor quality [78].
naturally produces the toxin ricin) and has a solid
biotechnological infrastructure [84].
Canada
. Canada conducted biological weapons
research from 1941-1945. Canada weaponized
anthrax, and research was conducted into the
creation of biological weapons from brucel-
losis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, plague,
tularemia, typhoid, yellow fever, dysentery, rinder-
pest, botulinum toxin, and ricin [69].
China
. Despite claims to the contrary, China is
reported to have active biological and chemical
weapons programs, although details are unknown
[26]. China has conducted defensive research on
potential biological warfare agents, including the
causative agents of anthrax, plague, tularemia, Q
fever, psitticosis, Eastern equine encephalitis, and
others [26]. China has an advanced biotechnology
infrastructure as well as the munitions produc-
tion capabilities necessary to develop, produce and
weaponize biological agents [85]. Speculation has
occurred that the 1997 outbreak of swine foot and
mouth disease on Taiwan in which almost 4 million
pigs were destroyed may be attributed to introduc-
tion of livestock from China [86].
Cuba
. Cuba is thought to have had the technical
capability to conduct a biological weapons research
program, and its biotechnology industry is among
the most advanced of emerging countries (Cuba's
Pursuit of Biological Weapons: Fact or Fiction.
US Senate, 2002). However, a recent intelligence
reassessment concludes that it is unclear whether
Cuba now has an active, offensive biological
weapons effort [87]. Defectors have claimed that
the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotech-
nology in Havana is actually a military research
center that manufactures anthrax and bubonic
plague [88]. In 1997 Fidel Castro compared the
US to a dragon and Cuba to a lamb and warned
that if the dragon tried to eat the lamb, it would
find its meal “poisoned.” This led to speculation
of Cuba's biological warfare capabilities. Cuba
has accused the United States government of a
“biological attack” in which the agricultural pest
Thrips palmi
insects (palm or melon thrips) were
allegedly dropped from a crop-dusting plane in
October 1996.
Thrips palmi
(palm thrips) has been
spreading in the Caribbean region since 1985,
2.19 Biological Weapons and
Countries Thought to Possess Them
A number of countries with records of supporting
terrorist organizations also are believed to have
biological weapons programs. The Department of
State has named seven countries as state supporters
of terrorism: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea,
Sudan, and Syria [79]. Reports by the Department
of Defense and the Arms Control and Disarma-
ment Agency have suggested that Iran, Iraq, Libya,
North Korea, and Syria, possess biological warfare
programs [80].
Afghanistan
. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was thou-
ght to attempt to acquire or manufacture biolog-
ical weapons [81]. There were several news stories
reporting possible chemical labs run by Al-Qaida,
but none have been proven [82].
Australia
. The Australian Department of Defe-
nse formed the New Weapons and Equipment
Development Committee at the conclusion of
WWII. A recommendation was made to develop
biological weapons that would be most effective
in tropical Asia without spreading to Australia's
temperate cities. During the post-war environment
of the 1950s Australian universities were encour-
aged to research areas of biological science of
relevance to biological weapons. This support and
activity ended by the 1970s, with the greater
inherent global deterrent capabilities of nuclear
weapons [83].
Brazil
. Although it has the capacity to do so, no
evidence exists that Brazil has ever developed or
produced biological weapons. Brazil's opposition
to biological weapons includes the use of biological
agents to control coca production in neighboring
Colombia. It is to be noted that Brazil has one of
the world's largest crops of the castor bean (which
