Who Has These Weapons

Much that is known about the former Soviet Union s BW capacities was revealed by two defectors Vladimir Pasechnik, the Soviet defector to England who revealed the BW activites of Biopreparat in 1989, and Kanatjan Alibekov (now Ken Alibek), who has given the West more detailed information about biological weapons research. From these important sources and others, William C. Patrick III— who developed offensive biological research for the United States—has surmised that BW research and development in the USSR paralleled ours very closely. ... 

The substances we have described in this book turn out to be, for the most part, minor threats to our health. There are, however, perhaps thousands of these threats, and so a regulatory system has evolved to reduce the risks of individual substances to very low levels. There is considerable work yet to be done, to learn the toxic properties of many poorly tested chemicals, and to assess their health risks, but once this is done, regulatory officials have available strong weapons (which they do not always choose to deploy) to reduce exposures when necessary. The burden for exposure reduction falls not on exposed individuals (as in the case of lifestyle factors), but rather upon those who have caused the exposures to occur. 

Headden, Susan. Guns, Money and Medicine The Proliferation of Powerful New Weapons Has Sent the Cost of Crime Spiraling. Here s Why You Pay. U.S. News World Report, vol. 121, July 1, 1996, pp. 30ff. Analyzes the health costs caused by gun crime, using a variety of example cases. The costs are increasing due to the proliferation of more powerful weapons. All consumers end up paying more for these health costs because tax money must be used to care for the majority of victims, who are uninsured. 

In sum, the massive Soviet NBC weapons program is currently fragmented among numerous countries and employs only a fraction of its former workforce. Despite these major dislocations and workforce reductions, its residual personnel possess substantial weapons-critical expertise and are potentially attractive to potential proliferant states and non-state actors seeking to acquire NBC weapons. Whether the scope of the personnel of concern is large or small has important policy implications. While even a small number of people who illicitly transfer their expertise can create a serious security problem, it is much easier to contain the threat of a smaller, easily identified group of people than the threat of a larger, more diverse one. 

Because of recent events, the awareness of responders to biological hazards associated with weapons of mass destruction has increased. These biological agents are certainly a matter of concern, but other biological hazards exist that responders are more likely to encounter. These include poison plants, biting and stinging insects, reptiles, and infections of cuts and scrapes. Responders who... 

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