continue, the eyes, mouth, and skin should be flushedwith large amounts of water. Although the effects ofvomiting agents can be dramatic, personnel can usuallyperform duties despite their effects. Personnel shouldcontinue to wear a face mask even though coughing,sneezing, salivating, and nausea occur. (The mask canbe lifted from the face briefly to allow for vomiting andto drain saliva from the face piece). Analgesics can begiven to relieve headache and general discomfort.REVIEW 1 QUESTIONSQ1. What term is used to describe weapons thatdestroy large areas or kill and disable largesegments of a population?Q2. What is the most probable delivery method forchemical or biological weapons?Q3. List the two types of antipersonnel agents.a.b.Q4. The use of nerve agents produces symptoms thatare similar to what other, more commoncondition?Q5. What part of the body is most affected by blisteragents?Q6. If you are exposed to a blood agent, what actionshould you take first?Q7. True or false. Cough suppressant and painrelievers can be given to a victim of a chokingagent.BIOLOGICAL WARFARELearning Objectives: When you finish this chapter,you will be able to—Recall the terms used with biological warfare(BW).Identify the types of BW.Identify the effects of BW.Biological warfare (BW) is the intentional use ofliving organisms, toxins, and microtoxins to disable orto destroy people and domestic animals, damage crops,or deteriorate supplies. BW might be used on a largescale; therefore, biological immunizations of militaryforces and the development of detection equipment,such as the Interim Biological Agent Detection System(IBADS), are being used. Some of the types of BWagents and their symptoms are described in table 13-2.Do not underestimate BW as a weapon. BWagents can be produced on a scale not consideredpossible in the past. Even small nations with modern,adequate research facilities can produce large quantitiesof BW toxins and microtoxins more cheaply than theycan produce other types of weapons. These toxins andmicrotoxins are hundreds to thousands times strongerthan today’s chemical weapons. The disadvantage ofBW agents is that many are rapidly degraded whenexposed to certain environmental conditions, such asultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, heat, dryness, orhumidity.Animals, insects, and rodents can be used ascarriers to spread BW agents. Saboteurs can also infectlarge numbers of people by contaminating a watersupply. Infecting water, milk, and food supplies withmicroorganisms can spread diseases, such as anthrax,typhoid fever, cholera, and influenza.In the early stages of any biological disease, thegeneral symptoms include fever, malaise, andinflammation.13-6Student Notes:
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