Diseases injuries distinguished from

Biomarkers of Disease. No biomarkers are known that are specific for BCME-induced lung injury. Standard chemical examination of nose and throat can provide an index of local irritation, and examination of sputum for abnormal cell types can provide information on the state of the respiratory epithelium. However, these tests cannot distinguish BCME-induced effects from effects caused by smoking or exposure to other chemicals, and can only discover changes after damage to the tissue has already occurred. Continued efforts to devise more sensitive and more specific early biomarkers of disease (especially lung cancer) would be valuable. 

It is an axiom of warfare that battle casualties are far fewer than casualties caused by disease and nonbattle injuries.3 Y pestis can cause disease both through endemic exposure and as a biological warfare agent. Medical officers need to be able to distinguish likely from unlikely cases of endemic disease, and to keep the possible biological warfare threat in mind. 

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