Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
deaths within the facility and a near-evacuation of
the surrounding area [103].
Kazakhstan
. In 1993, Kazakhstan created the
National Center for Biotechnology to oversee the
administration of former Soviet biological weapons
facilities. These include: the Scientific Research
Agricultural Institute (SRAI) at Otar, specializing
in agricultural and zoonotic diseases; Biokom-
binat, a small facility in Almaty, now producing
vaccines, and the Scientific Center for Quarantine
and Zoonotic Infections (SCQZI), now controlled
by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health. Both SCQZI
and SRAI have extensive collections of virulent
strains, and safety and security have been upgraded
at these facilities. Biomedpreparat, a former large-
scale anthrax production facility in Stepnogorsk
has been dismantled [104].
Libya
. Prior to Libya's December 19, 2003
announcement to abandon its WMD programs,
Qadhafi was alleged to have attempted to recruit
South African scientists to assist in the acqui-
sition of biological weapons [105]. In 2003,
Libya admitted past intentions to produce biolog-
ical weapons. In October and December 2003,
American and British scientists toured a number
of medical and agricultural research centers that
were potentially used for biological weapons
research [105].
Democratic People's Republic of North Korea
.
North Korea has the scientists and facilities for
producing biological products and microorgan-
isms, and is thought to have performed biolog-
ical weapons research and development since
the 1960s. North Korea is thought to have
increased its development of biological weapons
in the 1980s with the assistance of scientists
from other countries. In the early 1990s, one
source described military biotechnology work at
numerous North Korean medical institutes and
universities using pathogens that cause anthrax,
cholera, plague, yellow fever, typhoid, cholera,
tuberculosis, typhus, smallpox, and botulinum
toxin. North Korea has a munitions-production
infrastructure to weaponize biological agents
[69,106-108].
Pakistan
. Pakistan has a biotechnology infras-
tructure that could support work on biological
weapons. Pakistan is considered to have the ability
to conduct a limited offensive biological warfare
research and development effort [109]. One 1996
report stated that Pakistan had been “conducting
research and development with potential biolog-
ical warfare applications” [110]. It is not known
whether this is accurate [110].
Saudi Arabia
. Six countries that may possess
biological or chemical weapons border Saudi
Arabia: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Sudan, and Syria.
There is no credible evidence that Saudi Arabia
possesses biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons
[111]. However, due to geopolitical incentives,
existing scientific expertise, and possession of
dual-use technology, one analyst has predicted that
Saudi Arabia will seek to produce biological and
chemical weapons in the future [112].
South Africa
. South Africa developed the ability
to produce and to deploy chemical and biolog-
ical weapons during the mid-1980s. This program
included work on
Ba. anthracis
, botulinum toxin,
V. cholerae
,
C. perfringens
,
Yersinia pestis
,
Salmonella
spp., chemical poisoning and large-
scale manufacture of drugs of abuse. South Africa
may have released cholera into water sources of
some South African villages and provided anthrax
and cholera to the government troops of Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe) for use in a guerrilla war. The US
and Britain notified the South African government
on multiple occasions of their concern for transfer
of knowledge of biological and chemical weapons
to other countries, especially to Libya [113,114].
In 1993, the destruction of remaining chemical and
biological substances was ordered [115].
South Korea
. South Korea possesses a well-
developed pharmaceutical and biotechnology
infrastructure. However, there is no evidence that
they have an offensive biological weapon program.
Citing a biological threat from North Korea, South
Korea conducts defensive biological weapons
research and development, e.g., development of
vaccines against anthrax and smallpox [116].
Sudan
. Although alleged to have developed,
acquired, and used chemical weapons, there is no
confirmed evidence of Sudan having a biological
weapons program [117].
