- Knowledgebase: Biological & Chemical Warfare and Terrorism
- Answers to questions about Biological and Chemical terrorism and warfare.
- 11. Questions and Answers about Chemical Weapons - Top
- From ABC News at http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/WTC_chemicalbiologicalqa.html#3
Chemical Warfare
Q: What chemical weapons pose the biggest threat?
A: Sarin, a chemical nerve agent developed by Nazi Germany during the 1930s, poses a large threat because it is fairly easy to manufacture. A thimble-sized portion of a nerve toxin like sarin or tabun (also developed by Nazi Germany) can kill a person in minutes; a few particles can produce death in 24 hours. There is also concern that terrorists might use ricin, a natural toxin derived from the castor bean. And terrorists could adapt common industrial chemicals such as chlorine and hydrogen chloride to be used as chemical weapons.
Q: Have groups or countries launched chemical attacks?
A. Chemical agents have been used on the battlefield since at least World War I. During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein was accused of using chemical weapons against Iraq's Kurdish minority. A Japanese cult released sarin in the Tokyo subway station in 1995, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5,000. Some reports indicate that Osama bin Laden has told his biographer that he is prepared to launch a strike using chemical weapons.
Q: How easy would it be for a terrorist to launch a chemical attack?
A: Because they're relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, chemical weapons have long been considered "the poor man's atomic bomb." One group of experts has estimated the cost of killing people using chemical weapons would be about $600 per square kilometer, compared with $2,000 per square kilometer using conventional weapons. Chemical weapons could be dispersed from a crop dusting plane, from aerosols, or by distributing the chemical in water supplies.
Q: Is the United States prepared for a chemical attack?
A: Most experts believe the United States is adequately prepared for a chemical attack since such attacks can usually only target a limited area. Appropriate gas masks can protect a person from breathing in a deadly chemical and protective clothing can prevent exposure through the skin.
- Updated: October 22, 2001
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