ABSTRACT
Vulnerability to biological and chemical threat agents associated with terrorism is not only directed toward humans but also toward the environment upon which we rely for life. This chapter focuses on those various biological and chemical threats to our environment, including our food and fiber supply, while direct biological and chemical threats to humans are more thoroughly discussed in Chapter 8. The environment is comprised of four fundamental components-air, land, living organisms, and water. As humans, we live in and interact with each of these environmental communities and are dependent upon them for our health and well-being. Related to this chapter, modeling of biological and chemical threat agents in the environment has been previously described in Chapter 3, and individual personal protection from biological and chemical threat agents is discussed in Chapter 8.
