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A new report released today (25 October
2004) by the BMA paints a bleak picture of the global community's
ability to cope with advances in biological and genetic weapons
technology.
The report, Biotechnology,
Weapons and Humanity II, warns
that the 'window of opportunity' to take action on this issue
is shrinking fast. The BMA first published a report on this subject
in 1999.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA Head
of Science and Ethics, said: "The situation today is arguably
worse than it was when we published our last report five years
ago. The very existence of international laws to protect us is
being questioned, the anthrax attacks in the US in 2001 caused
widespread panic and fear, and most worryingly of all, it's never
been easier to develop biological weapons – all you have
to do is look on the internet."
She added: "This report does not make
comfortable reading but it is essential that governments take
action on this issue now. If we wait too long it will be virtually
impossible to defend ourselves."
The new BMA report analyses whether
terrorist attacks like 9/11, anthrax attacks in the US in 2001
and the Moscow Theatre siege in 2002 have impacted on the development
of biological weapons.
If the development of biological and
genetic weapons is not curtailed, a future scenario could see
the following:
- weapons that target specific ethnic
groups
- imitation viruses, for example the
re-creation of the 1918 'Spanish' flu
- crop control (viruses can be highly
contagious and cause enormous damage to the agricultural industry
and food production)
- bio-regulators
(agents that could attack an individual's immune and nervous
system – such
as the fentanyl derivative that was used by Russian authorities
to end the Moscow theatre hostage crisis in 2002)
- genetically engineered anthrax
- modified smallpox immune response
(this would render current smallpox vaccines useless)
- synthetic polio virus
Commenting on the
report, Professor Malcolm Dando, author of this study and Head of
Peace Studies at Bradford
University, says: "The problem is that the same technology being
used to develop new vaccines and find cures for Alzheimer's and other
debilitating diseases could also be used for malign purposes. That
is why it is essential that an ethical code be developed for scientists.
Questions need to be asked about where research could lead, where
the results will be published and who has access to the data."
Biotechnology, Weapons and
Humanity II, warns
of the overwhelming power of biological weapons. In 1999 it was only
thought theoretically possible to develop weapons that could target
specific ethnic groups. Five years on this is now approaching reality
[1].
Key recommendations from the report [2] include
the following:
- states should
find ways of agreeing and strengthening the Biological and
Toxin Weapons Convention
(BTWC) when it comes up for review in 2006 – any agreement
should be legally-binding
- states should hold a conference on
the 30th anniversary of the BTWC (26 March 2005) where they
should demonstrate that they have met all their obligations
under the BTWC
- governments must pass legislation
to implement fully the requirements of the BTWC
- governments should commit to supporting
the appeal of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) on biological weapons [3]
- scientists must be aware of how their
work might impact on legal and ethical norms that prohibit
the development and use of biological weapons
- scientists should discuss with funders
whether research into some areas should be prohibited because
of the danger of results being used in the development of prohibited
weapons
The report covers:
- 'Progress' since the 1999 report
- The current political stagnation
- The ongoing scientific and technological
revolution
- Offence versus defence
- The spectre of future malign applications
- A call to action
- Recommendations
By producing this
report the BMA hopes to raise awareness about the threat of biological
weapons amongst
doctors, other health professionals, the public and the government.
The report has been sent to the Foreign Secretary, to relevant departments
of state and to international agencies. It is available from major
bookshops @ £9.99 and will be distributed via amazon.com.
Ends
Notes to editors
1. Ethnic weapons are covered
in detail on page 86 of the report.
2. All recommendations
begin on page 117 of the report.
3. The ICRC has called
upon national governments to make public declarations on their stance
on biological and genetic weapons. The full text of the appeal is
on page 137 of the report, a summary follows:
Alarmed by the potential hostile uses of
biotechnology, the ICRC appeals to:
- all political and military authorities
to strengthen their commitment to the international humanitarian
law norms which prohibit the hostile uses of biological agents
and to work together to subject potentially dangerous biotechnology
to effective controls
- the scientific and medical communities,
industry and civil society in general to ensure that potentially
dangerous biological knowledge and agents be subject to effective
controls.
The report is on the BMA website at : www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/BioWeaponsII
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