A proposal for the classification of biological weapons sensu lato

Rózsa, Lajos (2014) A proposal for the classification of biological weapons sensu lato. Theory in Biosciences, 133 (3-4). pp. 129-34.

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Abstract

Due to historical and legislation reasons, the category of bioweapons is rather poorly defined. Authors often disagree on involvin g or excl uding agents like hor mones, psychochemicals, certain plants and animals (such as weeds or pests) or synthetic organisms. Applying a wide definition apparently threatens by eroding the regime of international legislation, while narrow definitions abandon se veral important issues. Therefore, I propose a category of ‘biological weapons sensu lato’ (BWsl) that is defined here as any tool of human aggression whose acting principle is based on disciplines of biology in cluding particularly microbiol ogy, epidemiolo gy, medica l biology, physiology, psychol ogy, pharmacology and ecology, but excluding those based on inorganic agents. Synthetically produced equivalents (not necessarily exact copies) a nd mock weapons are also inclu ded. This definition does not involve any claim to subject all these weapons to international legislation but serves a purely scholarly purpose. BWsl may be properly categorized on the base of the magnitude of the human population potentially targeted (4 levels: individuals, towns, countries, glo bal) and the biological nature of the weapons’ intended effects (4 levels: agricultural - ecological agents, and non - pathogenic, pathogenic, or lethal agents against humans)

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