The document discusses the classification of CBRN agents. It describes how chemical agents can be categorized as either toxic industrial chemicals or chemical warfare agents, with the latter divided based on their effects. Biological agents are grouped into parasites, bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Radiological materials are classified based on whether they emit alpha, beta, or gamma radiation. The document provides examples of agents in each category and outlines some of their key properties.

1. Topic 2.1: Groups of agents, classification and examples of incidents
Module 2: CBRN basics

2. Learning objective: to recognize the different groups of agents, their
features and effects
Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs and triggers, etc.

3. Classification, properties & dispersionof CBRNagents
Chemical agents
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Biological agents Radiological and
nuclear materials
MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

4. Chemicalagents’ classification
• Classification of chemical agents is possible in various ways, for example:
• Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) versus Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs)
• Differentiation according to physical-chemical properties
• Differentiation based on toxicity
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Symbol for toxic chemicals
(most TICs fall into this category)
Symbol for chemical warfare
agents (CWAs)
MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

5. ToxicologicalIndustrial Chemicals(TICs)
TICs can be subdivided based on their (potential) effects.
For example:
• Carcinogenic (substance that may cause cancer)
• Toxic (substances that have a poisonous effect at low dose)
• Corrosive (substance that may cause a flash burn)
• Flammable (substance able to burn when ignited)
• Explosive (substance able to explode)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

6. ChemicalWarfareAgents (CWAs)
CWAs can be subdivided based on their effect:
Blister agents (e.g. mustard gas):
• Blistering of the skin
• Damage to eyes, lungs, etc.
Blood agents (e.g. hydrogen cyanide):
• Affects cell respiration (exchange of oxygen)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

7. ChemicalWarfareAgents (CWAs)
CWAs can be subdivided based on their effects:
Choking agents (e.g. chlorine)
• Affects the respiratory system (nose, throat & lungs)
Nerve agents (e.g. VX, sarin)
• Affects the central nervous system (e.g. muscle spasms)
Incapacitating agents (e.g. pepper spray)
• Affects behaviour(e.g. burning sensation in the eyes)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

8. Physical chemicalproperties
Differences in physical-chemical properties lead to different behaviour‘in the field’.
Examples of such properties are:
• Aggregation state (gas, liquid, solid at ‘field temperature’)
• Solubility (quantity of substance that will disolve)
• Volatility (maximum concentration in a closed space)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

9. Toxicity:
What makesa (chemical)substance toxic?
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

10. Toxicity
Paracelsus (1493–1541):
"Solely the dose determines that a thing is not a poison." (Sola dosis facit
venenum "Only the dose makes the poison")
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Substance Lethal dose in mg/kg
Water 90,000
Kitchen salt 3,000
Arsenic 763
Sodium cyanide 6.4
Sarin 0.15
Botulinum toxin 0.0000010
MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

11. Biologicalagents
Biological agents can be categorized into four large groups. Although
biological agents are larger in size compared to chemical and radiological
agents, they cannot be observed with the naked eye.
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1 μm
10 μm 100 nm 10 nm 1 nm
Light microscope
Electron microscope
Parasites Bacteria Viruses Toxins
MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

12. Biologicalagents: parasites
Parasites (2-10 μm)
Single- or multicellular organisms that obtain nourishment and shelter from
other organisms.
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

13. Biologicalagents: bacteria
Bacteria (0.1 – 1.5 μm)
Microscopic single-celled, self-reproducing organisms that thrive in diverse
environments.
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

14. Biologicalagents: viruses
Viruses (10 – 90 nm)
Microscopic particles that are capable of reproducing only within a host cell
and spread disease by moving from host to host.
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

15. Biologicalagents: toxins
Toxins
Poisonous substances produced within living cells or organisms. Toxins are non-
replicative and non-infectious, but can be extremely hazardous, even in small
quantities.
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

16. Propertiesof Biological agents
Biological agents can cause disease (pathogenic), or do not cause disease (non-
pathogenic), and can have beneficial properties.
For example, biological agents with beneficial properties are used in the pharmaceutical
and food industries.
• Medicine (Pharmacy)
• Fungi: antibiotics
• Food industry
• Fungi & Bacteria: dairy products
• Yeast: bread, beer & wine
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

17. Propertiesof Biological agents
Biological agents can cause disease (pathogenic), or do not cause disease (non-
pathogenic), and can have beneficial properties.
Pathogenic biological agents are organisms or infectious particles, or toxins, with the
ability to cause disease.
• Plant pathogens: Tabaco Mosaic (virus)
• Animal pathogens: African Swine Fever (virus)
• Zoonoses: Bacillus anthracis (bacterium, Anthrax)
• Human pathogens: Measles (virus)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

18. Propertiesof Biological agents
Some biological agents can be used as biological weapons.
Bacteria: Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)
Yersinia pestis (plague)
Francisella tularensis (tulemaria)
Viruses: Variola major (smallpox)
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola)
Toxins: Botulinum toxin (Botox)
Ricin
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

19. Epidemics
An epidemic is the rapid spread of an infectious disease in the population of a
geographic area at a given time period. An epidemic can be caused by the
deliberate or non-deliberate dispersal of a biological agent.
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

20. Biologicalweapons
• Pathogenic biological agents, used as biological weapons, are selected for their
specific characteristics:
• Persistent in the environment:
• High resistance to drought & heat
• Relatively easy to acquire & cultivate:
• Livestock & environment: natural reservoir
• Highly contagious:
• Many transmission routes & low dose = fatal
• Clinical manifestations are non-specific but severe
• Fever, Headache, Pneumonia
• Severe illness and high mortality
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Researchers working with Class III cabinets at the
USBWL, Camp Detrick, Maryland (1940s).
MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

21. Biologicalweapons
Biological and
Toxin Weapons
Convention
BTWC (1972)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

22. Radioactivity
• A single chemical element can have different masses: isotopes
• Different isotopes have the same chemical properties
• Isotopes were/are created in
• imploding heavy stars and the upper layer of the earth’s atmosphere
• industrial devices: nuclear power plant, particle accelerators, A-bomb
• Some isotopes are unstable, they are radioactive
• Example
• Carbon: C-12, C-13, C-14
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

23. Radioactivity
• Radioactive isotopes decay spontaneously and emit radiation
• Radiation can damage other (biological) materials:
• Especially DNA damage in cells
• Cell death (a few days) or tumor formation (>20 years)
• Three main types of radiation:
• alpha particles (α)
• beta particles (β)
• gamma rays (γ)
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

24. Propertiesof Radiation
• Alpha (α) particles:
• Large and heavy particles, cause much damage
• Short distance in air (cm), stopped by paper and skin
• Dangerous when inhaled or ingested
• Beta (β) particles:
• Light particles, cause considerable damage
• Medium distance in air (10m)
• Moderate penetration depth, stopped by plexiglass or aluminium
• Gamma (γ) rays:
• Electromagnetic radiation, like visible light (but with much more energy)
• Damage dependent on energy
• Large penetration depth, reduced by concrete or lead but not stopped
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

25. Classificationof RadioactiveIsotopes
• Radioactive isotopes are categorized into three main groups based on the
radiation they emit (α, β or γ)
• Likely a whole ‘family’ of radiation products are emitted
• Energy and number of α, β and γ particles are used to identify the isotope
• Identification has a high level of certainty
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

26. Sourcesand materials
• Radiation sources used in industrial, research, or medical applications
• Radioactive isotopes contained in solid material (closed source) or in a liquid or
gas (open source).
• Radiological and Nuclear materials emit radiation
• Differences between Radiological (R) and Nuclear (N) materials are subtle
• Historical, not all countries use the same definition
• Nuclear material is extremely strictly regulated, as it can be used to build
atomic bombs or fuel Nuclear Power Plants
• The RN-part of CBRN does NOT involve radiation from powerlines, cellphones,
microwaves, or UV from the sun
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

27. Takehome message
• Chemical agents
• two main groups of chemical agents: Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) and
Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs)
• have various levels of toxicity
• Biological agents
• four main groups: Parasites, Bacteria, Viruses, and Toxins
• are infectious at various levels (or toxic: toxins)
• Radiological and Nuclear materials
• three main types of radiation: α, β, and γ
• Penetration depth increases from α to γ
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.

28. Thank you for your attention
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MELODY Presentation 2.1.1: Classification, properties, signs & triggers, etc.