NBC incidents: Know these terms
NBC incidents: Know these terms
"NBC" stands for nuclear, biological, and chemical agents, all of which involve weapons of mass destruction. Here are key differences between each type of incident:
o Nuclear. This type of incident encompasses anything from detonation of nuclear devices to contamination of food or other products with highly radioactive materials. "For example, there have been some accidental exposures of people to highly radioactive plutonium pellets," says Robert Suter, DO, MHA, FACEP, regional medical director for the North Texas region at Questcare Emergency Services in Plano.
There was an accident in South America in which a medical clinic closed that had a gamma accelerator for cancer treatment. "A junk dealer bought the machine as scrap metal and ended up opening a sealed capsule with plutonium capsules in it, which are fairly small, and distributed them," Suter says. "Many people developed radiation sickness and died."
The incident was accidental, but such an act could be done purposely, Suter warns. "Exposures to high-grade radioactive materials don’t necessarily have to be released by a bomb. However, a major nuclear incident would have extremely high damage but is also the least likely to occur."
o Biologic. This type of incident involves any living organism such as virus or bacteria or any spores of those agents. "This is the incident which is most likely to occur and can have a wide range of impact," he says.
A 1986 incident in the United States involved a cult in Oregon that sprayed salmonella bacteria on salad bars so people would get sick with gastroenteritis. "Anybody could do that in their basement by growing toxic E. coli in a petri dish, transforming them to a larger liquid broth, and distributing them using window sprayers. It’s very low-tech and cheap," says Suter.
On the other extreme, using a form of the Ebola virus to kill large numbers of people worldwide is more unlikely because the terrorists would need access to significant resources and technology in the preparation phase of the attack, he says.
o Chemical. This type of incident includes any chemical compound used to harm or injure. For example, if a person took an industrial compound that was a blistering agent and disbursed it in a way intended to be harmful, it would be considered a chemical attack, says Suter. If terrorists intended to hurt people, they would likely would use substances classified as chemical warfare agents, such as mustard Lewisite, he says.
Chemical weapons could kill hundreds or even thousands of people, stresses Suter. "It’s relatively easy to disperse a chemical agent. While the deadliest forms take some technical expertise to compound, even these agents are considered available on the black market and could be smuggled into the U.S."
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