[Peace-discuss] The threat of biological weapons

[ppatton at uiuc.edu]

Scientists: Biological Weapons Pose Major Threat

Mon Oct 25, 9:28 AM ET
	
Add to My Yahoo!	 Science - Reuters

By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) - Biological weapons that can wipe out whole 
populations pose one of the biggest threats to the world 
today yet remain almost completely uncontrolled, the British 
Medical Association said Monday.

It urged the United States to stop blocking attempts to 
strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) 
when it comes up for renewal in 2006.

"This technology could be used by sub-state terror groups and 
eventually by deranged individuals," Malcolm Dando, author of 
the BMA's study, Biological Weapons and Humanity II, told 
reporters at a news conference.

He warned that the development of biological weapons designed 
to target specific ethnic groups was coming closer to 
reality, and said it was already theoretically possible to 
recreate devastating viruses like the 1918 Spanish flu 
epidemic that killed 40 million people.

The anthrax attacks in the United States in 2001 and the 
engineered nerve agent fentanyl used by the Russians to end 
the Moscow theater siege with disastrous results in 2002 
showed that biological weapons already existed, Dando said.

Yet the BTWC, which dates back to 1975, contains no means of 
monitoring and no powers of enforcement.

"The best way of describing it is as a gentleman's 
agreement," said Dando, who is head of peace studies at 
Bradford University.

He said there were strong international mechanisms 
controlling nuclear and chemical weapons, but virtually 
nothing to control what he termed the "riotous development" 
of biotechnology.

Dando said the United States, which under President Bush 
(news - web sites) had turned its back on many international 
accords, was the key reason the BTWC treaty remained weak 
after 19 years.

The U.S.'s powerful biotechnology industry has put pressure 
on the administration not to sign up to international rules 
fearing they could stifle research, he said.

But Dando noted that Bush's opponent in next week's 
presidential elections, senator John Kerry (news - web 
sites), had made positive comments about strengthening the 
treaty.

Russia, which was known to have developed a major biological 
weapons capability in the closing stages of the Cold War, had 
also kept a very low profile on the issue, he said.

"There are still several of its military laboratories that 
have not been opened up for inspection. You have to wonder 
why," he said.

Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA, 
said it was vital scientists got involved in self-regulation 
to try to ensure experiments and information were not misused.

"The real key to biosecurity, to not having to deal with 
deliberately spread epidemics, is to make sure that these 
materials are not produced," she said. "You can never provide 
100 percent security but you can create safeguards."

Too lax controls and Armageddon could be round the corner, 
but too rigid regulation and vital advances on health 
sciences could be stifled.

What was needed was a code of ethics covering scientists and 
governments and sensible international laws fully enforced.

"If we don't do the prevention side we have to be prepared 
for those weapons to be used," Nathanson said.