Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Fear and Legacy

Abstract

Nuclear weapons are the archetypal weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Made infamous during World War II and by movies such as The Sum of All Fears (Paramount Pictures, 2002), these weapons explode above or on the ground, causing damage arising from contact with displaced objects, followed by a fireball, concussion, and fallout. The 2 bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II killed well over 100000 people. Today’s nuclear weapons are much more destructive. Also, so-called “dirty” bombs, which use conventional weapons to explode nuclear materials, would make an area uninhabitable, at least temporarily. Another type of WMD—chemical weapons—are derivatives of pesticides, designed to eradicate humans. The two most prevalent forms are “nerve” and “mustard” gases. When inhaled, nerve gas causes failure of the central nervous system. Mustard gas produces blisters, which can be fatal if they reach the respiratory system. Made infamous by the Japanese subway attack, by the Iraq–Iran war, and by the movie The Rock (Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Hollywood Pictures, 1996), chemical weapons can be brutally effective killers if delivered in a crowded place with limited ventilation. Anthrax, smallpox, typhoid, and various other organisms can be lethal and infectious biological weapons. In the worst case, as illustrated by the movie Outbreak (Punch Productions, Inc, and Warner Brothers Pictures, 1995), the successful delivery of a biological weapon could result in a 21st-century plague. Three articles in this issue (Levy and Sidel, Chess and Clarke, and Ziskin and Harris) describe the horrific potential impacts of WMDs and the capacity of the human race to respond to them. The destructive capacity of WMDs is undeniable, but the destruction starts before a WMD is released and does not end after the obvious damage has been managed. This issue also presents 4 articles that pinpoint different parts of the life cycle of developing, testing, using, and managing WMDs. The wellbeing of uranium miners (Brugge et al.), nuclear waste management workers who may be at higher risk because they work for subcontractors (Gochfeld and Moor), residents who live near weapons storage facilities (Williams and Magsumbol), and ecology systems (Burger) are imperiled by WMDs. See Morrison’s article discusses mechanical engineer Richard Magee, who is intimately familiar with the efforts of the United States and other nations to reduce chemical weapons stockpiles. Magee headed a National Academy of Sciences panel that advised the US Department of Defense about the destruction of the US chemical weapons stockpile and he was in Iraq soon after the first Gulf War advising the Iraqis about the destruction of their chemical warfare agents. His story shows that dedicated people can reduce the stockpile of these horrible weapons. The images of mushroom clouds and of people dead after being gassed and after inhaling biological agents are vivid and indelible; they will not fade away. No one knows how much success humanity will have controlling the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States will come close or have all of its chemical weapons stockpile destroyed by 2015. Although its policy is not to use chemical or biological weapons, will other nations and groups refrain from building, buying, or stealing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons? We can only hope so. Meanwhile, the massive legacy of the WMD past continues to place people at risk and cost billions of dollars a year to manage. The United States and Russia, in particular, must commit to in-perpetuity management of a legacy that has already cost so much in lives, environmental destruction, property damage, and moral credibility.