Local News

What If Iraq Uses Chemical Weapons?

Posted Updated
Some military experts believe Saddam Hussein is still manufacturing chemical weaponry.
CHAPEL HILL — While the standoff between the UnitedStates and Iraq continues, Iraq may be building up chemical and biologicalweapons. Before inspectors were kicked out they found and destroyed tonsof chemical weapons.

The question of just how much threat these weapons pose is addingto the tension in the gulf. Officials aren't questioning whether the threat

No one really knows how much biological and chemical weapons wouldaffect the masses, but one thing is certain -- Saddam Hussein has both.Biologically, Anthrax is the most lethal, causing a fatal disease in mere seconds. Dr. Deitrick Schroeer of the University of North Carolina saysextremely small amounts can kill.

Serin gas caught the eyes of the world when terrorists attacked asubway in Japan. The gas found in Iraqi weapons is known as VX, a deadlierversion of Serin.

Dr. Ernest Hodgson is a professor of toxology at North Carolina State University. He knows the deadly affects of VX gas.

Be they biological or chemical, Saddam Hussein likely has weapons athis disposal. The question is how many.

Saddam may already have had time to stockpile weapons during thislatest standoff. Some scientists question the effectiveness of chemicaland biological weapons because, in order to kill millions, the gas orbacteria has to be spread evenly, and that doesn't happen with onemissile. Most agree, however, that chemical warfare could be deadliest ifused by terrorists.

Photographer:Ed Wilson

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.