Dangers of Biological Warfare
Dangers of Biological Warfare
Since man first started using his hands to make tools and weapons, he has always struggled to be more powerful and have better weapons than his enemies. Today is no different. Perhaps one of the newest, most publicly known type of weapon being created and tested is biological warfare. This type of warfare is believed to be the best and most deadly of all weapons, however, the big question is, how safe is it, and what are its effects on the environment? In James Powlik’s Sea Change, the author clearly states that biological warfare is not safe and that it is harmful to the environment. Three good examples of this are: the Pfiesteria in Powlik’s novel, its effects on humans, and its effects on animals.
Firstly, just by taking a look at the Pfiesteria will show just how dangerous it really is. Although the Pfiesteria in Powlik’s novel is a semi-fictitious organism, there are other biological weapons similar to it. The Pfiesteria is described as follows:
Taxonomic genus of dinoflagellate first described in the early 1990’s and found in the Gulf Stream waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Pfiesteria prefers warm, brackish conditions and has been linked to seasonal fish kills in nutrient-laden estuaries of the U.S. mid-Atlantic states. It consumes other algae, sometimes using the chloroplasts for photosynthesis. The organism has been described as having up to 24 distinct life stages and produces at least two toxins that act offensively rather than as a passive deterrent. One, a water-soluble neurotoxin, is used to stun prey, while a second, fat-soluble toxin ulcerates and destroys tissue. (Powlik, 478)
This is a description of the real Pfiesteria, but the Pfiesteria in Sea Change is not all that different from it. The only difference is the semi-fictitious Pfiesteria can harm humans and animals larger than cod-size fish, and can survive in the Pacific Ocean near Canada. On top of this, both types of Pfiesteria can form a protective layer called a cyst when the conditions they are living in at the time are no longer ideal. This means that they go into a type of ‘hibernation’ until the conditions are livable. They can ‘hibernate’ in this state for more than 20 years. This can obviously be a problem because people might think that it...