Weapons of Mass Destruction B-NICEis the acronym used for identifying five categories of terrorist weapons of mass destruction: Biological Nuclear Incendiary Chemical Explosives A. Biological Agents (B-NICE) Biological agents are living organisms, that when in the form of liquid droplets, aerosols or dry powders cause harm or disease. The use of biological agents is attractive to terrorists because most of them are relatively inexpensive and do not require sophisticated technology to produce or deliver. Fortunately, however, most biological agents are difficult to effectively disperse via aerosol devices. Many agents are extremely sensitive to things like temperature, humidity and ultra-violet light; wind speed and direction may determine the extent of biological agent release. Types of Biological Agents: 1. Bacteria – Self-sustaining organisms that do not require a host to reproduce. Some types may transform into a spore (anthrax). Anthrax Plague Cholera Tularemia 2. Viruses – Much smaller than bacteria and lack a system for their own metabolism, needing a host to survive. The host can be plant, animal, insect, bacteria, or human. Smallpox Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) Ebola Marburg (Hemorrhagic Fevers) Lassa 3. Toxins – Biological toxins are non-living, poisonous chemical compounds that are produced by living organisms (animals, plants, & microorganisms). These agents are up to 1,000 times more lethal than standard chemical agents, but unlike chemicals, are not typically volatile or able to cause illness through skin absorption. As a result, toxins are not prone to person-to-person transmission and are not very persistent when released. Botulism Ricin Staphyloccoccal enterotoxin B Myotoxins Nuclear Devices (B-NICE) A nuclear incident is an event in which a nuclear agent is used as a weapon of terrorism. It can involve the detonation (or threatened detonation) of a nuclear bomb or the detonation (or threatened detonation) of an explosive device that includes nuclear materials. Nuclear agents are the least likely weapon of mass destruction to be used by terrorists because of the difficulty of acquiring, building and using nuclear weapons. Simple radiological device – spreading radioactive material without the use of an explosive device, such as placement of a high activity radioactive isotope in a public place exposing numerous individuals to various levels of radiation. 2. Radiological dispersal device – combination of an explosive agent with radioactive materials. The initial explosion kills or injures those closest to the bomb, while the radioactive substances remain to expose and contaminate survivors and emergency responders. 3. Reactor – sabotage of a nuclear reactor plant. 4. Improvised nuclear device – designed to cause a nuclear detonation. Construction of such a device to produce a nuclear detonation would be difficult as it is not easy to get the weapon to detonate correctly. 5. Nuclear Weapon – such as an “Atomic bomb”. The consequences of a one-kiloton yield bomb within one minute would be 30