If Biological Warfare Comes
Item Details
Title
If Biological Warfare Comes
Topics
The author provides an example scenario of a biological attack and discusses what makes various agents potentially effective candidates for biological warfare.
Date
1948
Conclusions
The world population is vulnerable to biological warfare as there are no foolproof defensive measures. It is also very feasible to produce effective biological weapons as materials and the technical ability are readily available. Agents that make particularly good candidates are psittacosis, anthrax, and botulinum toxin. The author does not believe that agents incapable of being spread in the aerosol form are relevant, and also prefers agents that are not transmissible in order to prevent them spreading to the user.
Source
Feiner, J. If Biological Warfare Comes. Harper's Magazine. May 1948. https://harpers.org/archive/1948/05/if-biological-warfare-comes/. Accessed March, 2024.
Citation
“If Biological Warfare Comes,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/533.