Differences between Chemical and
Biological Weapons

n discussing CBW terrorism, it is important to distinguish between chemical and biological agents, which differ in several ways.

Model of the chemical
agent Sarin

• Chemical agents are non-living, manufactured chemicals that are highly toxic and can enter the body through the lungs, the skin, or through ingestion, for example, in food poisoning or product tampering cases. Depending on the route and amount of exposure, chemical agents cause illness or death within minutes to hours after exposure.



The Ebola virus

• Biological agents are microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria that infect humans, livestock, or crops and cause an incapacitating or fatal disease. Symptoms of illness do not appear immediately but only after a delay, or incubation period, that may last for days to weeks, and even, in some cases, years.
  
• Toxins—nonliving poisons produced by living plants, insects, and animals—are in a gray area between chemical and biological agents. They generally have an incubation period of hours to days, longer than that of chemical agents but shorter than that of biological agents.

This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents.
Copyright © 2008 by MIIS.