Biological weapons - A primer for microbiologists

Biological weapons are not new. Biological agents have been used as instrum ents of warfare and terror for thousands of years to produce fear and harm in humans, animals, and plants. Because they are invisible, silent, odorles s, and tasteless, biological agents may be used as an ultimate weapon-easy to disperse and inexpensive to produce. Individuals in a laboratory or rese arch environment can be protected against potentially hazardous biological agents by using engineering controls, good laboratory and microbiological t echniques, personal protective equipment, decontamination procedures, and c ommon sense. In the field or during a response to an incident, only persona l protective measures, equipment, and decontamination procedures may be ava ilable. In either scenario, an immediate evaluation of the situation is for emost, applying risk management procedures to control the risks affecting h ealth, safety, and the environment. The microbiologist and biological safet y professional can provide a practical assessment of the biological weapons incident to responsible officials in order to help address microbiological and safety issues, minimize fear and concerns of those responding to the i ncident, and help manage individuals potentially exposed to a threat agent.