Whats the difference between a chemical and biological threat?
Chemical agents are hazardous substances that usually would make you sick immediately. Examples of chemical agents include mustard gas, cyanide, and sarin. Biological agents are usually viruses or bacteria which may take several days to make you sick once you are infected. Examples of biological agents include anthrax, smallpox, plague, and ricin. If you are exposed to a chemical, washing it off may reduce the danger. If you are exposed to a biological agent, decontamination usually isn’t needed, but you may need medical evaluation and either antibiotics or vaccines.
One type of threat is caused by a chemical agent and the other is caused by an organism, like virus or bacteria, which can make you sick. Exposure to certain chemicals and biological agents can cause death. It is likely you will know very quickly if there is a chemical agent attack, but you may not know that there has been a biological attack immediately. The protective actions remain the same: go indoors for safety, and listen to local television and radio for advice on what to do.
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