LESSON 13 - WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION Flashcards
Device that is designed to be used in fighting an enemy of a war to cause bodily harm to another
WEAPON
Defend oneself from attackers
WEAPON
Used to describe different kinds of weapons
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
two important characteristics of weapons of mass destruction
The ability to produce large-scale destruction
They do not choose who they want to attack which affects usually the civilians
is a part of a country’s activity
is a part of a country’s activity
Weapon making
An art and craft
A symbol of strength and power of a country
Used as a defense
Undergoes evolution
WEAPON MAKING
4 TYPES OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Biological
Chemical
Nuclear
Radiological
Weapons that uses harmful biological agent (pathogenic microorganism/neurotoxin/virus/bacteria) to cause death or disease on a large scale
Biological
Weapons containing any of several chemical compounds like chlorine gas, mustard gas, of which some are toxic
agents that are intended to kill, injure, or incapacitate an enemy.
Chemical
Weapon combining radiological materials with a conventional explosive device.
Nuclear
Considered as the greatest weapons of mass destruction ever created FISSION, or REACTION.
Nuclear
Devices that spread dangerous radioactive materials that is wrapped around a conventional explosive to spread toxic radiation
Radiological
Three types of weapons of mass destruction (Laura Reed)
Nuclear weapons
Chemical warfare agents
Biological warfare agents
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Smallpox
Anthrax
Ebola Virus
Plague
Tularemia
Botulinum Toxin
Rice Blast
Rinderpest
Smallpox
Caused by
variola virus
Spreads through direct contact with an infected person’s skin or bodily fluids, air in closed, confined areas, and contaminated snail mail
Smallpox
Classified as Category A Biological Weapon by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to its high mortality rate and easily transmitted through the air
Smallpox
Signs/symptoms of smallpox
High fevers
Body aches
Rash
Antidote of smallpox
Isolate the patient until all scabs have fallen off (304 weeks after rash onset) to prevent transmission of the virus
One of the deadliest and most feared agent of biological weapon
Anthrax
Anthrax is caused by bacteria called
bacillus anthracis
Anthrax: Effects after _____ days of inhalation and death may occur if not treated.
seven
Signs/symptoms of anthrax:
Fever
Malaise
Fatigue
Coughing
Internal bleeding
Blood poisoning
Meningitis
Antidote of anthrax:
Large doses of intravenous and oral antibiotics (such as fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin), doxycycline, erythromycin, vancomycin, or penicillin)
A killer that causes hemorrhagic fevers marked by severe bleeding
Ebola Virus
Ebola virus hit the news in the late
1970s
Ebola virus: Spread through _____ and ______q, killing hundreds
Zaire and Sudan
Ebola Virus: Got its name from the ______ (near one of the villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the disease was first discovered)
Ebola River
Infects others through direct contact with blood or other bodily secretions
Ebola Virus
Signs/symptoms of Ebola:
Between 2-21 days
Headache
Muscle ache
Sore throat
Weakness
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Some: internal and external bleeding
60 and 90 percent dies after 7 to 16 days while some patient recover better than others
Antidote for Ebola:
No cure for ebola
Only proper medical management such as avoiding people who are exposed to it and maintain balance of fluids and electrolytes and oxygen
Blood transfusion and treatment for other infections
Plague also called
Black Death
Killed half of the population of Europe in the 14th century
Plague
Plague caused by a bacterium __________, which was transmitted to humans by infected rats
Yersinia Pestis
2 main types of plague:
Bubonic and Pneumonic
Spreads by bites from infected fleas
Can be transmitted from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids
Bubonic
Named for the swollen glands, or buboes, around the groin, armpit, and next accompanied by fever, chills, headache, and exhaustion.
Bubonic
Less common and spreads through the air by coughs, sneezes, and face-to-face contact.
Pneumonic
Symptoms of bubonic
Occur within ______ days and last between _______ days; ____ percent die within the first 24 hours if not treated
2 or 3 days, 1 and 6 days, 70 percent
High fever, cough, bloody mucus, difficulty breathing
Symptoms of pneumonic
Antidote for pneumonic
Antibiotics (for bubonic plague)
Patients are advised to be hospitalized in isolation
Tularemia also called
rabbit fever
Tularemia caused by the bacterium
Francisella Tularensis
One of the most infectious bacteria on Earth
Humans can become infected through bites of tick and deer flies, skin contact with infected animals, drinking contaminated water, and inhalation of contaminated aerosols or agricultural dusts
Tularemia
Signs/symptoms of Tularemia
Fever
Chills
Headache
Diarrhea
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Dry cough
Progressive weakness
Antidote for Tularemia
Not transferred between human hosts but can be spread very rapidly between animal hosts and humans or when used in aerosol form
Easily treated with antibiotics or prevented with a vaccine
Botulinum Toxin is caused by a bacteria _________________ that contains deadly botulinum toxin
Clostridium Botulinum
Colorless and odorless in air
Spores are found in fruits, vegetables, and seafood
Considered harmless but when they begin to grow, they produce deadly toxin
Botulinum Toxin
Humans are exposed to the toxin through the consumption of contaminated foods
Botulinum Toxin
Signs/symptoms of Botulinum Toxin
Blurred vision
Vomiting
Difficulty swallowing
Antidote fir Botulinum Toxin
Antitoxin drugs (to prevent the disorder from worsening, but recovery still takes many weeks)
Rice Blast:
A kind of crop disease
Caused by the fungus ________________ (also known as Magnaporthe grisea)
Pyricularia Oryzae
Makes leaves of plants that were exposed to the fungus develop grayish lesions with buildup of thousands of fungal spores
Rice Blast
Does not kill instantly, but low food production could lead to severe hunger in poorer countries, as well as losses in income.
Rice Blast
Antidote for rice blast
Develop fungus-resistant plant varieties
Do not use excessive fertilizer
Irrigate the soil regularly
Plant early
Use silicon fertilizers (calcium silicate) as alternative fertilizer they can be applied to soils that can help reduce blast
Apply appropriate fungicide to infected plants
A German name
A pest caused by a virus similar to Measles
Rinderpest
Affects mostly cattle and other ruminant animals animals such as goats, bison, and giraffes
Rinderpest
Highly contagious disease, characterized with fever, loss of appetite, dysentery, and inflammation of the mucus membranes
Rinderpest
Condition get serious for 6 to 10 days after exposure until the animal suffers dehydration
Rinderpest
Antidote for Rinderpest
There is no known treatment
Animals exposed to it are required to be isolated and slaughtered
Vaccination can be administered if directed by the authorities
Proper disposal of dead animals and contaminated material
Maintain cleanliness and proper sanitation of cattle farms
Using disinfectants like Sodium Hypochlorite (a 3% household bleach can kill RPV virus)
Caused by the NIPAH Virus in 1999
Resulted to an outbreak in Nipah region of Malaysia (infected 265; killing 105)
NIPAH Virus
Virus naturally occurs in fruit bats
May be spread through close physical contact or contaminated body fluids
NIPAH Virus
NIPAH Virus : Lasts _______ days
6 to 10 days
Classified as Category C Biological Weapon
NIPAH Virus
Signs/symptoms of NIPAH Virus
Fever
Muscle pain
Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
Severe cases: drowsiness, disorientation, convulsions, ultimately
Antidote for NIPAH Virus
Limited to supportive care
Composed of toxic chemical contained in a bomb that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through chemical action
CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Chemical weapons of mass destruction are controlled and affected by:
Freshness
Purity
Weather conditions
Wind direction
Means of dissemination
Other factors
CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION are called:
Nerve agents
Blister agents
Choking agents
All of them can irritate the eyes, lungs or skin
Effects of chemical weapons of mass destruction:
Immediate failure of the respiratory r nervous system
Skin irritation
Headaches
Heart palpitations
Respiratory difficulty
Vomiting
Convulsions
Forms of chemical weapons of mass destruction:
Liquids
Vapors
Gases
Aerosols
Just like conventional bombs
Chemical WMD
Meant to cause extreme damage through an explosion that releases a large amount of energy in a short period of time
Chemical WMD
Explosion is created by changing the atoms themselves, either by splitting them or fusing them together to create new atoms that release tremendous heat
Chemical WMD
Some countries all over the world possess about _________ nuclear weapons
30,000
Since ______, no nuclear weapon has been used in a conflict although possession of them is a symbol of strength and prestige and can be used during diplomatic bargaining
1945
MOST COMMON CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Sarin
Soman
VX
Zyklon B
Mustard Agents
Sarin also called
GB
Colorless, odorless nerve gas
Considered an organophosphate chemical, a potent pesticide
Tasteless, odorless, colorless liquid that has no odor in its pure form which was developed in Germany by Gerhard Schrader in 1938
Sarin
Antidote for sarin
Exposure to Atropine and Pralidoxime for nerve agent against toxicity
A combination of Sarin and Lewisite, an effective blistering agent
Soman
More expensive to produce than sarin
Colorless liquid, becomes dark brown if aged
Tasteless but has been variously described as having a sweet, musty, fruity, spicy, or nutty smell
More deadly than sarin and tabun
Considered a volatile substance effective mainly through inhalation
Soman
O-ethyl S-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate
VX
VX is _______ in liquid form
brownish
Vapors are odorless
A very toxic nerve gas, an extremely toxic chemical agent
Used as a nerve gas which causes convulsions, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and failure of the respiratory system leading to death
VX
VX is ___ times more deadly than sarin
100
- first synthesized VX; a chemist working for Imperial Chemical Industries in Britain
Ranaji Ghosh
Antidote for VX
Atropine and Pralidoxime
Injected sedative/antiepileptic such as diazepam
Tabun
Discovered by a German chemist, ___________, sometime in 1937
Gerhard Schrader
Colorless or brownish liquid, and odorless as a vapor
Classified as an organophosphate and originally intended to be used as a pesticides
Considered among the easiest of nerve gases to manufacture
Can be mixed with water
Can be used to poison water or food and it can be inhaled when released into the air
Tabun
Antidote for Tabun
Administration of injectable atropine and pralidoxime
Poison gas invented in Germany by Fritz Haver
Zyklon B
A type of hydrogen cyanide used by the Nazis to kill war victims inside gas chamber during World War II
Colorless vapor at normal temperatures with a smell like bitter almonds
Zyklon B
- has high toxicity and in sufficient concentrations rapidly leads to death
Hydrogen Cyanides
Antidote for Zyklon B
Amyl nitrite
Sodium nitrite
Sodium thiosulfate
First used near the end of World War I
Exposure to it cause severe eye and lung damage
Mustard Agents
Mustard Agents: Chemical compound is often called “____________” because their injuries usually resemble burns or blisters
blister agents
- commonly known as Mustard Gas, have the ability to form large blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs; sometimes smells like garlic, onions, or mustard and sometimes has no odor
Sulfur Mustard
- exposure can cause 2nd and 3rd degree chemical burns
Mustard Gas
Antidote for Mustard Gas
No antidote for mustard exposure
The best thing to do is to avoid it by leaving the area immediately where the sulfur mustard is present
Go to a higher ground, because sulfur mustard being heavier than air, will settle in low-lying areas
TYPES OF NUCLEAR REACTION THAT CAN BE USED TO MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Fission Weapons
Fusion Weapons
Atoms are split
Fission Weapons
The core of a fission bomb is made of either _______, or highly enriched ______
Plutonium/Uranium
During fission, when the heavy nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei, extra neutrons are released. If these neutrons are absorbed by other nuclei, they can, in turn, also releasing neutrons and setting off what is known as a _____________
Chain Reaction
Often known as hydrogen bombs - deuterium and tritium
Fusion Weapons
Two isotopes of hydrogen are fused together to create heavier atoms
Fusion Weapons
Can only happen at extremely high temperatures and pressure
There is no theoretical limit to the explosive force of a fusion weapon
Fusion Weapons
EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Blast
Direct Nuclear Radiation
Thermal Radiation
Fallout
Refers to the very fast release of energy in an explosion producing a shock wave equivalent to several thousand pounds of pressure per square inch (psi), devastating force that can break most objects on earth
Blast
A form of energy with a combination of heat and light. The light produced by a nuclear explosion can be seen from hundreds of miles away, so intense that it can make sand explode, blind people many miles away, ignite flammable materials at large distances, and burn human skin.
Direct Nuclear Radiation
Release several forms of radiation such as gamma, alpha, and beta particles.
Thermal Radiation
- can easily penetrate or pass through solid objects and can be deadly.
Gamma rays and neutrons
- are generally less dangerous, having much shorter ranges - several meters and several centimeters, respectively
Beta and Alpha Particles
Consists of large numbers of particles, which are propelled upward in the blast and become irradiated, or contaminated with radiation during the explosion. The rising and descending debris forms the mushroom cloud that follow a nuclear explosion
Fallout
EFFECTS OF RADIATION ON HUMANS
Affect the cells
Death
Cancer
Glow-in-the-dark
Eye cataract
Infertility
Hair loss
RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIONS
“Dirty bombs”
Weapons of mass disruption not mass destruction
RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIONS
Made by combining radioactive material with conventional explosives
RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIONS
