Bad Things Come in Small Packages 拆信小心！

While most armies in the world shun their use, and military authorities exclude them from warfare, the technology to produce biological and chemical weapons is widely available. Moreover, these weapons are cheap, easy to conceal, and very effective. Since September 11, 2001, biological weapons seem to have become the weapon of choice among the disenfranchised militants of the world. Some people are worried chemical warfare may follow.

Chemical weapons are abundant in variety. Their effectiveness is determined by several factors, including age, purity, weather conditions, and choice of dissemination. They include nerve agents, blister agents, and choking agents, all of which can be ingested through the eyes, lungs, or skin. Sarin, a type of nerve gas, was used by the Aum Shinrikyo cult in March 1995, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5,500 on a Tokyo subway.

Biological weapons, by definition, are any infectious agent, such as a bacterium or virus, used deliberately to inflict harm on soldiers and civilians alike. This classification can include toxins and poisons derived biologically. Biological weapons can be produced nearly anywhere, from government labs to suburban kitchens.

Experts contend, however, that the transformation of a deadly virus or bacterium into an effective weapon is anything but straightforward: A conventional bomb would likely destroy the germ as it exploded. In contrast, dissemination via alternative methods, such as surface mail, has recently proved quite effective.

1. shun v. 回避

2. disenfranchised a. 被剝奪公權的

3. ingest v. 攝取

4. toxin n. 毒素

盡管世界上多數國家的軍隊都避免使用生化武器，軍事當局在戰爭中也不使用它，而制造生化武器的科技仍然隨處可得。此外，這些武器造價便宜、容易藏匿，而且效果很明顯。2001年9月11日之后，生物武器似乎已成了世界上被剝奪公民權的好戰分子們選擇的武器。有些人擔心，接著可能會有一場化學戰爭。

化學武器種類繁多。它們的效力是由幾種因素決定的，包括年限、純度、氣候狀況，以及散布途徑?；瘜W武器包括神經毒、皰毒和窒息毒，它們都能通過眼睛、肺部或皮膚被人體吸收。沙林是一種神經性毒氣，1995年3月奧姆真理教在東京地鐵站使用，造成12人喪命，5，500多人受傷。

從定義來看，生物武器是指任何蓄意用來傷害士兵和老百姓等的傳染手段，如細菌或病毒等。這類武器包括用生物學方法培植出來的毒素和毒藥。生物武器幾乎到處都可以制造，從政府實驗室，到郊區的廚房。

然而，專家認為，要將一種致命的細菌或病毒轉化成有效的武器并不是一件容易的事：一顆常規炸彈就有可能在爆炸時摧毀病菌。相對來說，通過其它方式傳播，如普通郵件，近來被證實相當有效。