Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents and incidents mean the uncontrolled release of chemical, biological and nuclear agents into the environment or various explosions including the same that cause widespread damage to the environment. They can be used as weapons of mass destruction and can cause severe injury to people’s lives. Chemical, Biological and Nuclear agents are classified as hazardous material. A hazardous material is a substance that because of its physical, chemical or biological nature, they may lead to health, safety and environmental concerns that may require elevated efforts to manage (Auguste, 2003). Chemical, Biological or Nuclear hazards may occur as a result of accidents, war like situations and terrorism.An accident may occur due to the accidental release of a agent either biological or chemical, or an accident in a nuclear plant. Warlike situations may involve border disputes, territorial expansions or ambitions to capture valuable resources from another nation. Terrorism would involve the release of chemical or biological agents or nuclear radiation with the intentions of harming a community or nation because of ideological, political or religious related reasons (Davis, 2003). The use of CBRN in terrorism has been a security challenge for the world which always leads to severe casualties. The lack of reliable detection systems and the ease by which it is possible to manufacture chemical and biological agents have enabled them to be used by various terrorists groups to cause panic and terror to civilians.
The OSHA communication standard defines a hazardous chemical as a chemical potentially can be a health or physical hazard or may cause harm. A health hazard is one that may lead to health problems when people are exposed to it and includes chemicals that are carcinogenic, toxic, irritants, corrosives, and neurotoxins among others and those ones that may lead to damage of the skin, lungs, eyes and mucous membranes. Similarly, a chemical would be a physical hazard if some its properties are explosive, flammable, oxidizing, and combustible or has the ability to react with other chemicals including water. The chemical would also be a physical hazard if it exists as compressed gas. Hazardous chemicals are all those chemicals that may significantly affect the environment when disposed off or stored incorrectly. Hazardous chemicals include fumigants, pesticides, paints and detergents among many others. One can ascertain whether a chemical agent is hazardous by simply checking with the supplier of the chemical whether it is hazardous or by inspecting the material safety data sheets that come with these products. Right from their production to their disposal, people are exposed these hazardous chemical agents and hence the need of careful handling and taking of precautions. Chemical agent information is needed to reduce the risks that are associated with possible chemical incidents.
Biological agents include all those organisms that can cause human diseases or cause significant impacts on agriculture and the environment. Biological agents are found in various places and are usually rarely visible to the naked eye. Biological agents have the ability to adversely affect the health of human beings through allergic reactions, diseases and even death. The risks that are posed by biological agents are usually not appreciated. Biological agents include bacteria, yeast, viruses and various parasites and parasites among others. These biological agents would cause three types of diseases including infections from parasites, viruses and bacteria, allergies and poisoning or toxic effects. Various steps can be taken to reduce the risks of biological agents and this would depend on the type of the hazards they pose. Some of the common actions include proper disposal of waste, maintenance of clean and hygienic work environments among many others. Vaccination, in some of the cases, has worked towards the prevention of incidents related to biological agents.
Nuclear agents on the other hand have the ability to damage human tissues and cause severe health problems in human beings. Human beings, for a long time, have been exposed to different levels of radiation, but the exposure beyond certain limits leads to casualties and some cases loss of lives. Nuclear power plants, for example, have the ability to generate high amounts of highly radioactive material which when human beings are exposed to may lead to health risks. The Fukushima nuclear disaster incident in March, 2011 in Japan just showed the world how nuclear agents can cause serious health and environmental damage and as well lead to heavy financial burdens (Eisler, 2013). The Fukushima disaster is the second nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 that resulted in many deaths and serious environmental damage. People living at places close to nuclear agents and nuclear power plants are always at risk of being affected by high radiation levels. A very large dose of exposure to radiation by an individual leads to death or readily detectable cancers while a small dose of exposure may lead to damage to tissues or cancers in later life as well.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear agents (CBRN) pose a serious risk to the safety and health of human beings. The threat posed by them has been a global challenge over the years. There is the continued need of collaborative efforts to come up with strategies and policies that may lead to the prevention of accidents and terrorism related activities that associate with this hazardous material. Risk assessments should always be done before the use of this material right from their production to their disposal just to ensure the prevention of incidents emanating from the handling of these hazardous materials. It is necessary to come up with appropriate measures to avoid accidents and incidents and also the strengthening of security measures to avoid terrorism related incidents.
References
Auguste, C. C., & Business Communications Co. (2003). Surveillance and monitoring of explosive, chemical, biological and nuclear hazards. Norwalk, CT: Business Communications Co.
Davis, L. E. (2003). Individual preparedness and response to chemical, radiological, nuclear, and biological terrorist attacks. Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
Eisler, R. (2013). The Fukushima 2011 disaster. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
United States.(2012). Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear risk assessments: DHS should establish more specific guidance for their use: report to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office.
