Lynn Klotz, a member of our Scientists’ Working Group, wrote an article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It was named “Article of the Month” by the International Biosecurity and Prevention Forum. Incidents causing potential exposures to pathogens occur frequently in the high security laboratories often known by their acronyms, BSL3 (Biosafety Level 3) […]
Op-ed: North Korea’s other weapons of mass destruction
Senior Policy Director Alexandra Bell and Research Intern Abigail Pokraka wrote a piece in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on the dangers of North Korea’s chemical and biological weapons programs. Achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea will require the most complicated and rigorous security agreement ever negotiated. That means that the Trump Administration has an […]
Fact Sheet: Chemical Weapons
Updated November 2024 A chemical weapon (CW) is a device designed to release a chemical agent(s) to cause physical harm and potentially death. These chemicals can be divided into categories such as choking, blister, blood, nerve, and riot control agents. CWs can be dispersed using various delivery systems, including grenades, landmines, artillery rounds, rockets, missiles, […]
Fact Sheet: Biological Weapons
Updated December 2024 Biological weapons (BW) are disease-causing organisms and toxins that are designed to harm or kill humans, livestock or crops. Naturally occurring biological agents, like the organisms that cause anthrax, bubonic plague, and smallpox, are manipulated for use in weapons. These weapons can be disseminated in various ways, including through traditional military platforms […]
We are Still Waiting for Real Action on Chemical Weapon Attacks
John A. Gilbert, Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Security Once again, the world is learning about another case of death and profound harm from exposure to chemical weapon (CW) material. On Saturday, June 29, two civilians living a few miles from Salisbury, England were hospitalized after exposure to a nerve agent; one died […]
