Armi cbrn

Rounded morphology, components:

S glycoprotein or Spike

 Membrane protein (M)

 E protein

 RNA and N protein



Symptoms: fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, loss of smell, shortness of breath, cough,

coughing un sputum, muscle aches, and pain. In severe disease, the symptoms are

difficulty walking, confusion, blushing face or lips, coughing out blood, persistent chest

pain, decrease in white blood cells, kidney failure, and high fever.

Fungi

Organism 20 to 50 times larger than bacterial cells. Types:

Filamentous fungi or moulds: multicellular

 Yeasts: unicellular

 Dimorphic fungi: acquire appearance of mould or yeasts according to

 environment

Some fungi produces mycotoxins (es. aflatossina):

Cytotoxic poisons

 Neurotoxins

 Gastrointestinal irritants



One main mycotoxin are aflatoxins (es. B1), produced by Aspergillus, located in humid

environments, causes bronchial asthma if inhaled.

Phalloid amanita contains amanitis a cyclopeptidis that block protein synthesis, and

phalloidins. Both are thermostable toxins.

Parasites

Parasites are organism that depends on other organisms.

Protozoa: unicellular, can cause diseases

 Parasitic insects: transmit pathogens through bite

 Parasitic fungi: plant rust that damage crops

 Verminosis: parasitic worms, causes diseases in host



Malaria

Protozoan parasite of the Plasmodium genus. Causes: Fever, intense chills, and

profuse sweating. They often have an intermittent pattern. Hemolytic anemia,

Splenomegaly, Hepatomegaly.

The female mosquito inoculates sporozoites in human host, they infect liver cells,

multiply and lyse the cells releasing merozoites that multiply in erythrocytes that lyses

and pour into the circulation.

Prions

Molecules of a protein that can transmit their misfolded form to a normal variant of the

same protein, found mainly in the brain.

CJD -Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: 1 case per million population per year.

 Symptoms are dementia, muscle spasm, difficult with coordination or balance

and walking, visual disturbances.

Kuru: the term derives from the Forse tribe of Papua New Guinea, it means

 “shake”, because of the typical symptom, similar to CJD. It is transmitted

through funerary cannibalism. Long incubation period.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: symptoms are abnormal gait, tremors,

 poor balance and coordination, coma, and death within a few months of

symptoms appearing.

Radiological and Nuclear Agents

Radiazione alfa: costituite da nuclei bipositivi di elio che vengono attratte dal polo

negativo di un campo elettrico; Un elemento che emette una particella alfa si

trasforma in un altro elemento con un numero atomico inferiore di 2 unità ed un

numero di massa inferiore di 4 unità; Le particelle alfa sono grandi quindi non possono

nemmeno attraversare un pezzo di carta ma allo stesso tempo sono altamente

energetiche quindi in caso di ingestione o contaminazione potrebbero essere

pericolose in termini di rotture del doppio filamento al DNA.

Radiazione beta: Le radiazioni b vengono invece attratte dal polo positivo di un

campo elettrico e sono costituite da elettroni; Sono più leggere e molto più penetranti

delle radiazioni a. Hanno una velocità di circa il 90 % di quella della luce. A seguito di

un’emissione b un elemento si trasforma in un altro con lo stesso numero di massa ed

un numero atomico superiore di un’unità.

Radiazioni gamma: Le radiazioni g sono radiazioni elettromagnetiche pure (non

corpuscolari) ad elevata frequenza e quindi alta energia. Sono elettricamente neutre,

si muovono alla velocità della luce e sono molto penetranti. Di norma accompagnano

le altre emissioni essendo dovute al riassestamento energetico di un nucleo che ha

subito una trasformazione nucleare. Possono anche essere emesse da sole.

Fissione nucleare: Un neutrone vagante collide con un atomo di Uranio-235 o

Plutonio-239 iniziando la fissione, vengono emessi kripton e bario e altri neutroni che

continuano la reazione a catena.

Fusione nucleare: deuterio e trizio fondono tra loro creando un atomo di elio, un

neutrone ed energia

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941 Manhattan project established



in 1942, led to the creation of the atomic bomb with the support of UK and Canada.

The project was directed by General Leslie Groves of the United States Army Corps of

Engineers.

Had to ensure certain conditions:

The fissile material had to be in sufficient quantity and arranged according to a

 certain geometry.

The neutron used had to be slow

 The neutron flux must be adjusted to control fission

 The energy released had to be usable



The centers had to be isolated: Oak ridge, Los Alamos, Hanford. 2$ billion.

On december 2 1942 the first atomic pile was build, a “nuclear reactor", is a system in

which an atomic chain reaction, or chain fission, is obtained: Chicago pile 1, thanks to

Enrico Fermi.

On July 16 1945 the first “Trinity test”, the first test in history for a nuclear weapon,

took place in Jornada del Muerto desert, in New Mexico. It was used a plutonium bomb

of 20kt.

The gadget (used in trinity test)

 Little Boy (Hiroshima): gun type (modello a cannone) atomic bomb, 64kg of

 uranium for a total weight of 4 tons. The nuclear fission is triggered by a 38kg

uranium projectile launched at high speed inside a barrel against the rest of the

uranium mass

Fat Boy (Nagasaki): the number of victims was mitigated by an error in the

 acquisition of the target, dropped 4km from the established target. Impact

system (modello a implosione) in which there are 6.5kg of plutonium. TNT

explode and causes plutonium to be squashed and become so densely packed

together that the neutrons escaping from the decaying nuclei of plutonium

cannot escape from the plutonium without bumping into another plutonium

atom.

Thin Man (never used, built in case of Japanese resistance).



Hydrogen Bomb

Fusion is more difficult than fission because requires high temperatures 10^7K to

10^8K. In the H bomb nuclear fusion is produced through fission that produces the

required temperature.

Primary fission produces X-rays that heats the external uranium jacket; there is

polystyrene foam that at high temperature become plasma and compresses the jacket

to trigger a second fission bomb. Due to the temperatures and the increase in

pressure, tritium is produced and fusion is triggered.

For fission bombs there is a maximum limit in size that can be reached beyond which

the destructive power does not increase, this is because the fissile material is

dispersed before giving the fission reaction.

For fusion bombs there is no limit to their destructive power, the energy released is

less than the fission bomb but greater referred to the unit of mass.

In 1941 Fermi suggested that energy produced during fission could be used to trigger

D-T fusion, the main concern was that the explosion could destroy the structure

containing D-T.

First bomb: Ivy Mike, detonated in 1952 in Marshall Islands, 10.4 megaton.

 Created thank to the contribution of Klaus Fuchs, German emigrated in UK,

worked at Los Alamos, shared information with the Soviets.

Tsar Bomb: designed by the Soviets led by Sakharov (nobel peace prize),

 detonated 4000 m above the ground in 1961 in the artic circle, most powerful H

bomb ever tested 50-57 megaton. Building 900km far were damaged.

N bomb : neutron bomb that generates a flow of neutrons, creates mutations and

damages to DNA and organic life.

Effects of nuclear weapons

Blast 50%

 In nuclear explosions are generated electromagnetic and gamma

o lightning which causes burn and incendiary thermal radiation.

A shock wave of hot air is formed, once the propulsion effect is over the

o cooled air returns to the center forming a return wave (contains debris)

chimney effect causes stem of the mushroom, then the air expands

causing the mushroom cap (radioactive fall-out occurs from the cap).

Much of the destruction is caused during this phase.

The heat wave propagates more slowly vaporizing the materials closest

o to the epicenter of the explosion and igniting those further away.

Thermal radiation 35%

 In 1 megaton bomb, less than 20km causes second degree burn, 20 to 25

o first degree burn.

From 0 to 1 km the bodies were 95% charred.

o From 1.4 to 2 km, the bodies were charred and had second-degree burns.

o At approximately 2 km, the victims presented bullous erythema and

o depigmentation.

From 2 to 4 km, the victims had brown pigmentation.

o

Initial radiation (radiazione elettromagnetica) 5%

 No radio communications

o Generated high electrical potentials that destroys electronic components

o Atmosphere is ionized no telecommunications



o no known biological consequences following exposure to this type of

o radiation

Residual radiation (radiazione ionizzante) 10%

 Ionizing radiation can change atomic state of matter, making life

o impossible in 1km from epicenter. Released with slight delay.

Fall-out: ash and lethal radioactive dust (last 6-30h). Contaminates the

o area.

highly penetrating gamma radiation:

o Sterility and impotence.

 Cataracts and blindness.

 Blood damage.

 Genetic damage.

 Damage to child development.

 Damage to the fetus.

 Development of malignant tumors.

 Death.





Explosives

Esplosione: rapid oxidation of combustible materials in a place that is not designed to

contain it, generates heat.

Combustion is a chemical reaction with the development of heat that takes place

between fuel and oxidizer (oxygen) to which an ignition energy is administered fire



triangle (fuel, heat, oxidizer)

For combustion to occur the components must be in gaseous phase; in case of liquid

fuel first there is evaporation, in case of solid there is first sublimation.

Temperature must allow oxidizer and fuel to undergo a combustion reaction, for

example by priming.

The energy possessed by the molecules is kinetic, so it’s related to the temperature,

when the temperature is higher molecules move faster, they exceed the activation

energy and the reaction takes place (chain reaction).

Fire: Flame

 Explosion

 Deflagration: speed lower than the speed of sound

o Detonation: speed higher than the speed of sound

o

The higher the temperature and pressure, the closer the explosion

Fuel characteristic:

Flammability range (campo di infiammabilità)

 The concentration range in volume within which the mixture of oxygen

o and the compound analysed has the possibility of ignite

Flash point (temperatura di infiammabilità)

 lowest temperature at which a fuel produces vapours in sufficient

o quantities to form a mixture with air which, in the presence of a primer,

burns spo