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 The
words
'Weapons of Mass Destruction" have become a common, everyday
word to many Americans. It has been scattered throughout news programs
and news papers for the last year. It has become as common as hearing
about the daily weather forecast. Those words have become a constant
threat, and the threat a daily part of the lives people of the United
States since September 11th. We hear these words everyday, but what
do they mean? What does the phrase "Weapons of Mass Destruction"
encompass? And, more importantly, what can be done to protect your
family and loved ones against weapons of
mass destruction?
 Weapons
of Mass Destruction include Chemical Weapons, Biological Weapons,
Nuclear & Radiological Weapons, and Explosives. Each one brings
its own deadly and horrific consequences, and has the ability to
kill and injure hundreds, even thousands of people. In the present
day, people need to know a little about these deadly weapons. We
hear of threats weekly, and yet we cannot afford to panic. Sadly,
many times, they may not be able avoided, but it is important to
be prepared. It is important to know which safety measures to take
and how to handle the aftermath of a situation. Below, each type
is briefly explained and then links are given to more specific information
regarding various aspects of the Weapons of Mass Destruction. General
Terrorism Safety Tips...
Biological
Agents. Smallpox
and Anthrax are two very well-known biological agents that are a
threat to the United States. This country has already had its scare
with Anthrax shortly after September 11, 2001 when several people
received letters with a white powdery substance which tested positive
for Anthrax. Unfortunately, several people lost their lives during
the scare, but one of the positive things that came of the incident
was the fact the people again realized that it was just that easy
to contaminate parts of the United States. Another good thing was
that people learned that through education, they could be more prepared
to handle the situation. But Anthrax is not the only Biological
worry at this stage of the game. Diseases such as smallpox, the
plague, and botulism are also biological terrorist threats. It is
believed that many of these diseases, once thought to be eradicated
from the Earth, are being brought back in much more resistant strains.
Biological Weapons/Terrorism...
 Chemical
Terrorism. The threat of chemical terrorism
is just as worrisome as biological terrorism. The main difference
between the two, is that the chemicals are not something that most
everyday citizens have heard of, much less know anything about until
recently. Since the threat of terrorism has greatly increased in
this country, Americans have been hearing the terms VX gas, GD gas,
sarin gas, and ricin gas, just to name a few. We have been told
that most are extremely deadly, but other than that, we probably
do not know too much. There are so many, it would take a very long
time to learn about even some of them, let alone all of them. Still,
there is a need to know some facts about these deadly chemicals
and gases. The link below will provide some information as well
as some safety tips.
Chemical Weapons/Terrorism...
Nuclear
terrorism
takes a common fear of a nuclear accident (See
Nuclear/Radiological Hazards) and raises it to the 10th power.
We have all seen what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the
end of World War II. The two atomic bombs that were dropped caused
catastrophic destruction and thousands of deaths. The bomb that
was dropped on Hiroshima (nicknamed Little Boy) alone leveled houses
and buildings within a 1.5 mile radius and estimatedly killed close
to a total of 140,000 people by the end of 1945 (information
obtained from A Bomb WWW Museum).
Today there are bombs that are
much stronger than the atomic bombs they used in WWII. Both the
neutron bomb and the hydrogen bomb are much more powerful. All three
types of bombs release deadly amounts of radiation as they are detonated.
Each of the bombs are based on the rules of nuclear fission (the
splitting of atoms), but usually are powered by different substances
- from plutonium to uranium, and deuterium and tritium compounds.
The hydrogen is the most powerful of the three bombs, being 100
to 1000 times stronger than the first atomic bombs. Nuclear
Terrorism Facts.../
Nuclear
Terrorism Safety Tips...
Explosives. We
have seen the work of explosives many times in this country and
around the world. The many bus bombs in Israel. The Oklahoma City
Bombing. The London bombings by the IRA. And, yes, even the World
Trade Center tragedy was a major explosive event. There are too
many incidents to name individually on this page, but each one has
caused many deaths and destruction. Although these types of explosive
terrorist attacks do not have a nuclear background, the losses they
cause are still real and tragic.
Terrorism with Explosives Safety Tips...
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