Biological Agents

The threat of domestic terrorism today looms larger than ever. Bombings at the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City's Federal Building, as well as nerve gas attacks in Japan, have made it tragically obvious that American civilians must be ready for terrorist attacks. What do we need to know to help emergency and medical personnel prepare for these attacks? Chemical and Biological Terrorism identifies the R&D efforts needed to implement recommendations in key areas: pre-incident intelligence, detection and identification of chemical and biological agents, protective clothing and equipment, early recognition that a population has been covertly exposed to a pathogen, mass casualty decontamination and triage, use of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and the psychological effects of terror. Specific objectives for computer software development are also identified. The book addresses the differences between a biological and chemical attack, the distinct challenges to the military and civilian medical communities, and other broader issues. This book will be of critical interest to anyone involved in civilian preparedness for terrorist attack: planners, administrators, responders, medical professionals, public health and emergency personnel, and technology designers and engineers.

The effort to understand and combat infectious diseases has, during the centuries, produced many key advances in science and medicine-including the development of vaccines, drugs, and other treatments. A subset of this research is conducted with agents that, like anthrax, not only pose a severe threat to the health of humans, plants, and animals but can also be used for ill-intended purposes. Such agents have been listed by the government as biological select agents and toxins. The 2001 anthrax letter attacks prompted the creation of new regulations aimed at increasing security for research with dangerous pathogens. The outcome of the anthrax letter investigation has raised concern about whether these measures are adequate. Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins evaluates both the physical security of select agent laboratories and personnel reliability measures designed to ensure the trustworthiness of those with access to biological select agents and toxins. The book offers a set of guiding principles and recommended changes to minimize security risk and facilitate the productivity of research. The book recommends fostering a culture of trust and responsibility in the laboratory, engaging the community in oversight of the Select Agent Program, and enhancing the operation of the Select Agent Program.

‘Protection against harmful bioaerosol is one of today’s major concerns. This applies both to people inside and outside the work environment. In this book, renowned scientists provide up-to-date and authoritative reviews of the latest scientific research and practice that has contributed to our understanding of the harmfulness of the bioaerosol and protection against it. A detailed discussion of bioaerosol protection methods and equipment as well as presenting future trends in prognostic modelling are the undeniable value of this monograph. This comprehensive book is indispensable for anyone involved in occupational and environmental hygiene, biological hazard, recognition and control in occupational and public environments’. — Bogumił Brycki, Adam Mickiewicz University The threats of biological airborne hazards are a global danger throughout the world today. Respiratory Protection Against Hazardous Biological Agents covers sources and practices of bioaerosol sampling, and discusses the prevention of these airborne hazards. The most common workplace hazard is poor air quality. The book provides the basic principles of a safe work environment in the conditions where workers might be exposed to harmful bioaerosols. It presents key characteristics of biological hazards and their effects on the human body. It examines microbial growth in filtering materials and provides the details of specific risks for users of respiratory protective devices. The book will present the reader a guide on how to measure the risk of exposure of biological agents and properly select respiratory protective devices. The book is ideal for the health and safety professionals and experts in the field of environmental health. FEATURES: Evaluates the risk of exposure to biological agents Describes the characteristics of biological factors and their effects on the human body Provides training on the importance of respiratory protective devices Examines microorganisms in the work environment Provides examples and case studies

Handbook on Biological Warfare Preparedness provides detailed information on biological warfare agents and their mode of transmission and spread. In addition, it explains methods of detection and medical countermeasures, including vaccine and post-exposure therapeutics, with specific sections detailing diseases, their transmission, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, vaccines, prevention and management. This book is useful reading for researchers and advanced students in toxicology, but it will also prove helpful for medical students, civil administration, medical doctors, first responders and security forces. As the highly unpredictable nature of any event involving biological warfare agents has given rise to the need for the rapid development of accurate detection systems, this book is a timely resource on the topic. Introduces different bacterial and viral agents, including Ebola and other emerging threats and toxins Discusses medical countermeasures, including vaccines and post-exposure therapeutics Includes a comprehensive review of current methods of detection

The threat of biological and chemical terrorism has driven the demand for timely techniques that can quickly detect the agent or agents used in an attack. The detection and/or prevention of these potential security threats provide significant scientific and technical challenges due to the combination of possible agents and modes of delivery available. This book will present a thorough look at the importance and technological challenges of mass spectrometry (MS) for the detection & identification of biological and chemical threats. This new contribution’s general aims are to draw the attention of recognized practitioners, experts and graduate students trying to grasp the latest MS developments in the cutting-edge fields of MS-biodefense technologies for the rapid/early/specific sensitive threat detection of pathogens, viruses, explosives, mycotoxins, chemical agents, and biological markers of xenobiotic chemicals.

Since Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Gulf War veterans have expressed concerns about health effects that could be associated with their deployment and service during the war. Although similar concerns were raised after other military operations, the Gulf War deployment focused national attention on the potential, but uncertain, relationship between the presence of chemical and biological (CB) agents and other harmful agents in theater and health symptoms reported by military personnel. Strategies to Protect the Health of Deployed U.S. Forces which is one of the four two-year studies, examines the detection and tracking of exposures of deployed personnel to multiple harmful agents.