Bioterrorism - are we ready to face it? In the shadow of facts and presumptions Part 1: Introduction

The first part of a series of articles planned to consist of three parts focuses on the biological weapons, as a possible means of terrorist attacks. We call the attention to some weak points of the contracts and measurements encumbering the spread of the biological weapons. We point out that the biological agents are relatively easy and cheap to produce, but prevention is difficult. In relation to some bioterrorist actions and threats that had already taken place it can be stated that th e review of the possibilities and the implementation of the actions proportional to the power of the state and the insecurity are more and more urgent tasks in order to prevent and detect the possible attacks and to eliminate the possible impacts. Introduc tion Biological Weapons is a group of Weapons of Mass Destruction in which living or viable microorganisms are genetically modified or bred in laboratories away from their natural habitat or their metabolic products (toxins, poisons) produced in a natural way or by chemical synthesis are allocated to the target area with the purpose of causing damage, disorder or death to human, plant or animal organisms. 1,2 The active substances of biological weapons are the microbiological agents (microorganisms, such as bacteria, microscopic fungi, viruses, rickettsiae and their toxins), which are not used exclusively in the military anymore but entered the arsenal of terrorism. Bioterrorism has emerged, the kind of terrorism, which uses biological weapons and materials t o reach its goal. The structure of the biological weapons consists of two main parts: – biological material (which consists of several additional substances, carrier, stabilizer and contaminant materials and the actual active agent, the microbiological age nt). The carrier material of the microbes is liquid or solid, in most cases reaching the target in the form of dust, suspension, emulsion or aerosol.