The use of chemical and biological weapons date far back in the history books, even before writing was around. At least 3,000 years ago, chemicals were added to fires to create fumes that would choke and sicken the enemy. "Greek fire" was a chem

In the 19th century, citizens only knew that disease spread through a sick person, a human corpse or an animal carcass. An easy way to poison an enemy's population was to simply place a carcass in the town well. By placing the deceased animal in the well, it infected all of the drinking water with such a disease as cholera. The first uses of biological warfare may have occurred in 1346. Tatars, a clan in Italy, took hold of the port city of Caffa, an Italian merchant and soldier settlement. With the Italians showing no sign of defeat, a mysterious deadly disease, later described as an early form of the plague, infected the clan and thousands died leading to the weakening of the army.

Funding for biological and chemical weapons did not truly begin until 1952, at a government spending of $10 million a year. That amount quickly rose to $352 million in 1969. Since 1925 more than 100 nations have signed an agreement called the Geneva Protocol, excluding the use of chemical and biological weapons in war. Unfortunately, not all countries felt obliged in following the contract, with the knowledge of Iraq using poisonous gases against Iranian troops.

Biological and chemical weapons are easy to acquire, synthesize, and use. Only small amounts are necessary to kill hundreds of thousands of people in a metropolitan area making the concealment, transportation, and dissemination of biological agents relatively easy. With the extensive knowledge the United States has with these weapons of mass destruction, the United States has been able to keep the nation out if harms way. The United States having biological and chemical weapons, countries and terrorist groups keep inline the threat of biological and chemical weapon retaliation. Unfortunately throughout the years, the possession of biological and chemical agents has not been a complete asset to the well-being of the United States. A gargantuan amount of time and money has been spent on this fairly new and ever developing topic of biological and chemical warfare. Only time will tell of what the future folds for the outcome of this war.

According to a 1969 United Nations report, chemical weapons are "chemical substances, whether gaseous, liquid, or solid, which might be employed because of their direct toxic effects on man, animals, and plants." Biological weapons are "living organisms, whatever their nature, or infective material derived from them, which are intended to cause disease or death in man, animals, or plants, and which depend for their effects on their ability to multiply in the person, animal, or plant attack."

"Early detection of a biological agent in the environment allows for early specific treatment and time during which prophylaxis would be effective (Web 1)." Therefore the Department of

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