From Encyclopedia Superheroica -the Encyclopedia of Superheroes

Revision as of 14:42, 7 June 2009

Nothing says "villainy" like burning lungs, blistering skin, and mutagens. Real and fictional terrorists have made use of everything from anthrax thru ricin. Then again, the Black Death and the Lake Nyos incident were of natural causes. Whatever the case, someone is going to be called upon to help prevent biological hazards -or at least help clean up the mess.

There should be a picture here.

Laboratory Allies

No superhero can do it all on their own. These organizations are on the front lines of the war against biological opponents. It is likely that one of them will be responsible for identifying any outbreak and coordinating a response to the attack or accident.

The Centers for Disease Control

A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, cannot.

The Official CDC Site

The Federation of American Scientists

The FAS has created an internet resource for biosecurity policy, bioterrorism information, and biodefense research. The organizations listed there represent various perspectives on what actions individual scientists, research institutions, science journals, the public, and government can do to minimize the threat of bioterrorism while maximizing the benefits of life science research.

The Official FAS Site

Resources

• Biosecurity Education Portal
• Biological Threat Agents Information
• International Organizations
• Introduction to Biological Weapons
• Legislation, Executive Orders, and Treaties
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Reports
• U.S. Government Agencies
• University Policy Centers

The Environmental Protection Agency

EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

The Official EPA Site

Employees

• 17,000 people across the country.
• A headquarters, ten regional offices, and more than a dozen labs.
• Primarily engineers, scientists, and policy analysts.
• Also comprised of legal, public affairs, financial, information management, and computer specialists.

Challenges

• Toxic waste
• Water pollution
• Air pollution
• Climate change

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• OTHER MOTIVATIONS subsection

References

More about biological agents at Wikipedia