Warfare agents biological

Based on the history of terrorist attacks, which have mostly involved hijacking and bombing of aircraft, current threat-detection measures have concentrated on detecting weapons or explosives. In the future, terrorist attacks could also involve the use of toxic chemicals, chemical and biological warfare agents, or even radiological and nuclear materials.1 2... 

The Block II chemical biological mass spectrometer (CBMS II) is the most recent version in an evolution of fieldable mass spectrometer systems designed for military detection and identification of chemical and biological warfare agents (CWA and BWA, respectively). It builds on the experience and performance of previous versions and employs the latest advances in the components that comprise the system. Two of these predecessors in particular have made important contributions to this development, the mobile mass spectrometer (MM-1) and the Block I chemical biological mass spectrometer (CBMS I). 

In addition to the immunochromatographic assays, another system used by the Allies during Desert Storm for the detection of biological warfare agents was the Light Addressable Potentiometric System (LAPS) produced by Molecular Devices (Sunnyvale, CA)19. The LAPS detected toxins and... 

Uithoven K.A., Schmidt J.C., Ballman M.E., Rapid identification of biological warfare agents using an instrument employing a light addressable potentiometric sensor and a flow-through immunofiltration-enzyme assay system, Biosens. Bioelectron. 2000, 14 761-770. 

Biological warfare agents present a greatly increased threat because the original viruses or bacteria can multiply and infect additional people. Considerable concern has been expressed over the possibility that a terrorist group might obtain a sample of the smallpox virus. Until recently, it was believed that smallpox had... 

---