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A historical review of biological weapons: a thrilling journey from 1346 to the modern day!
Bioweapons, also known as biological agents, refer to pathogens used as weapons. These pathogens may be live or reproductive pathogens, including toxins and biotoxins. To date, more than 1,200 possible weaponized biological agents have been described and studied. These bioagents have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, from relatively mild allergic reactions to severe medical conditions, and even lead to permanent injury or death. Many of these organisms are common in natural environments and can be found in water, soil, plants or animals.
Bio agents may be easily "weaponized" to make them easier to deploy or spread. Genetic modifications can enhance their disabling or lethal properties or make them irresistible to traditional treatments or preventive measures. Because many biological agents can reproduce quickly and require very few resources, they also become potential dangers in various occupational environments.
The Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 is an international treaty that prohibits the development, use or storage of biological weapons. As of March 2021, there were 183 States Parties.
Classification of biological agents
Combat Classification
The former US Bioweapons Project (1943-1969) divided its armed anti-personnel biological agents into "fatal agents" (such as Bacillus anthrax, Francis, Botox toxin) and "disabled agents" (such as Brucella, Kenella Cox, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, etc.).
Legal Classification
Since 1997, U.S. law has identified a series of biological agents designated by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Agriculture that have the potential to "pose a serious threat to public health and safety" and is officially defined as "selected agents" whose ownership or transportation is strictly controlled.
Based on the classification of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), biological agents are divided into three categories: Class A, Class B and Class C. Class A agent poses the greatest threat to the United States, and its standards include high pathogenicity and mortality, ease of dispersion and transmission.
List of biological agents of military importance
The following pathogens and toxins were weaponized by certain countries during certain periods and were regarded as military importance. These include bacterial biological agents, viral biological agents, and biotoxins.
International Law
The history of biological weapons use can be traced back to the siege of Kafa in 1346, but international restrictions on biological weapons began with the Geneva Protocol in 1925, which prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention supplements the Geneva Protocol, which explicitly prohibits the development, manufacture, acquisition, transfer, storage and use of biological weapons.
As of March 2021, 183 countries have become parties to the Convention. The treaty is believed to have established a strong global norm for opposing biological weapons, and the treaty preface clearly states that the use of biological weapons is "disgusting" to human conscience. However, the effectiveness of the Convention is limited in the lack of sufficient institutional support and formal verification mechanisms to monitor compliance.
In 1985, the Australian Group was established, a multilateral export control mechanism aimed at preventing the spread of chemical and biological weapons in 43 countries.
With advances in technology and the continuous development of biotechnology, the potential threat of biological weapons still exists, and this threat may become more complex and unforeseeable. We must think, as biotechnology continues to evolve, will future bioweapon wars become more frequent?
