How to Survive a Chemical or Biological Attack -- Introduction

 
While we might be inclined to believe that the threat of a chemical or biological attack is a modern phenomenon, the idea of using toxic chemicals and contagious diseases as weapons of war is not, in fact, a new one. It's almost as old as war itself.
Throughout history we have seen countless examples of the horror that chemical and biological warfare can inflict upon its victims. However, until recent times, use of these weapons was confined mainly to the battlefield.
That situation has changed.

Today, the new battlefields are the towns and cities we live in. And the new war is the war against terrorism.

We know that there is a global network of terrorists that are capable of producing poisonous weapons quickly, easily and, above all, cheaply. Indeed, chemical and biological weapons are often called 'the poor man's atom bomb' simply because they cost so little to produce.

We know that hostile nations like Saddam Hussein's Iraq have developed significant chemical weapons arsenals (and with the UN Arms Inspectors no longer there to monitor the situation, the Iraqi arsenal of poisons is likely to grow).

We also know that those who attacked the World Trade Center (or their associates) had attempted to rent chemical-spreading crop dusters and tried to get licenses to transport toxic chemicals. This is troubling news which suggests that the use of poisons is now high on the terrorist agenda.

These facts all point to one thing: the threat of chemical or biological attacks from terrorist groups and hostile nations is to be taken very seriously indeed.

So what is the government doing to protect us from such attacks?

Unfortunately, there's only so much the government can do. Terrorists are persistent and determined and so will always find a way to carry out their attacks regardless of security measures.

Are the emergency services capable of coping with an attack if it happens?

Only partially. In many situations the emergency services will be able to cope well with the medium to long term effects of an attack, but will be able to do little to save those who are in the 'front line' when an attack happens. It depends on the scale of the crisis and the type of poisons released.

So are we completely powerless to protect ourselves?

Fortunately, we're not powerless at all. We can protect ourselves by understanding the facts and by being ready, on a personal basis, to cope with the attack and its consequences when it happens.

Unfortunately, however, there's currently a lot of confusing and misleading information about chemical and biological weapons in the media and on the Internet. Advice on how to react in the event of an attack often puts you in a worse position than you were before.

The result of this constant barrage of inaccuracies and contradictions is that it's very difficult to decide which information you should trust and which of it should be confined to the trash can. This confusion is putting you and your family's life in danger.

In this book I've set the record straight about chemical and biological attacks. I've dumped all the popular myths and I've weeded out all the misleading information.

This book deals only in facts.

The facts about chemical and biological weapons, the facts about our national preparedness, the facts on how best to prepare yourself and your family and the facts on how to react when an attack happens.

By understanding the issues, by being fully prepared in advance and by knowing how to react during a chemical or biological attack, you can be confident that you and your family are in the best position possible to survive.

The world has taken a turn. The new century has brought with it new challenges. The time to rise to those challenges is now. We need to adapt to the new situation we now find ourselves in.

So, rather than sit around in worry and confusion, grab yourself a cup of coffee and start reading.