ABSTRACT
Legal measures can discourage potential terrorists so that they might think twice before committing a terrorist act. The Australia Group is an international organization of industrial countries that meets once a year in Australia to discuss which compounds or equipment should not be exported to countries where they could be used to manufacture chemical or biological weapons. The Ames strain of anthrax was isolated in Ames, Iowa, more than 100 years ago and it was freely distributed to many laboratories all over the world. Now, many countries have laws to prohibit the purchase, sale, and transport of anthrax across country borders. Ricin is a toxin from castor beans, and the plant is commonly found everywhere on earth. Analysis of chemical and biological agents in a laboratory will provide precise identification of the agents, but this is usually time consuming because the sample has to be brought to the laboratory location.
