The
CIA
provided
misleading
intelligence
on Iraq
before
the U.S.
invasion,
according
to a
report
from the
Senate
Intelligence
Committee.
They say
the
outgoing
head of
that
agency
of
didn't
want to
listen
to any
opinions
that
contradicted
his own.
More...
Biological
Agents
:-
Botulism
Clostridium
botulinum
is a
group of
bacteria,
commonly
found in
soil,
that
grow
best in
low
oxygen
conditions.
The
bacteria
form
spores,
which
allow
them to
survive
in a
dormant
state
until
exposed
to
conditions
that can
support
their
growth.
There
are
seven
types of
botulism
toxin
but only
four
cause
illness
in
humans.
Botulism
is a
rare but
serious
paralytic
illness
caused
by a
nerve
toxin
produced
by
clostridium
botulinum.
There
are
three
main
kinds of
botulism.
Foodborne
botulism
is
caused
by
eating
foods
that
contain
the
botulism
toxin.
Wound
botulism
is
caused
by toxin
produced
from a
wound
infected
with
Clostridium
botulinum.
Infant
botulism
is
caused
by
consuming
the
spores
of the
botulinum
bacteria,
which
then
grow in
the
intestines
and
release
toxin.
All
forms of
botulism
can be
fatal
and are
considered
medical
emergencies.
In the
United
States
an
average
of 110
cases of
botulism
are
reported
each
year.
Terrorists
have
already
attempted
to use
botulinum
toxin as
a
bioweapon.
Aerosols
were
dispersed
at
multiple
sites in
downtown
Tokyo,
Japan,
and at
US
military
installations
in Japan
on at
least 3
occasions
between
1990 and
1995 by
the
Japanese
cult Aum
Shinrikyo.
These
attacks
failed,
apparently
because
of
faulty
microbiological
technique,
deficient
aerosol-generating
equipment,
or
internal
sabotage.
The
perpetrators
obtained
their C
botulinum
from
soil
that
they had
collected
in
northern
Japan.
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