Human Rights Violations in Scientific Research

Human Rights in Scientific Research

• Human rights violations in scientific research are a serious issue.
• Examples include:
  • Assyrians poisoning enemy water with rye ergot in the 6th century BC
  • Mixing wine with leprosy patients' blood in 1495
  • Distributing clothes of Yellow Fever and smallpox patients to troops during the US Civil War (1863)
  • Use of glanders and anthrax in World War I
  • Japan using plague and anthrax in World War II
  • Iraq using mustard gas, sarin gas, and tabun gas against Iran and ethnic groups in Iraq (1980-1988)
  • Syria undergoing two attacks of toxic sarin gas in 2013

Bioterrorism

• Bioterrorism involves the unlawful use (or threatened use) of microorganisms or toxins from living organisms to cause disease in humans, animals, or plants.
• The aim is to create fear and intimidate governments or societies to achieve political or religious goals.

Agent Orange

• Agent Orange was used in the Vietnam War (1962-1971) by the US military to control vegetation.
• Consequences included:
  • Environmental damage
  • Leukemia
  • Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Birth defects in Vietnamese and US military personnel

Biological Agents

• Biological agents are used as weapons for their ability to damage populations and food supplies, harming economies.
• They comprise microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, rickettsia, viruses) and biotoxins (poisonous byproducts).
• These agents are inexpensive to create and readily dispersed through air/soil/water.
• They can persist for extended periods.
• Entry methods include inhalation, ingestion, and dermal penetration.

Bacteria

• Bacteria are single-celled organisms causing diseases.
• They can be grown in a culture to produce large quantities.
• Some can be modified for weaponization.
• Examples include anthrax, smallpox, plague, typhoid, cholera, and tularemia, which can produce tissue inflammation and/or toxins.

Rickettsia

• Rickettsia are a diverse group of intracellular Gram-negative bacteria.
• They are typically found in ticks, lice, or mosquitoes.
• Diseases caused by rickettsia are often difficult to treat.
• Examples include typhus, Q fever, and Mediterranean tick fever.

Viruses

• Viruses are living systems relying on other organisms to survive.
• They consist of RNA or DNA or proteins.
• They are obligated parasites, meaning that they require a host organism to replicate.
• Viruses are not affected by antibiotics and are commonly targeted with vaccines prior to infection.
• Examples include Ebola, Lassa fever, influenza, and viral hepatitis.

Biotoxins

• Biotoxins are poisonous byproducts of bacteria, fungi, marine organisms, and plants.
• They are often dispersed as aerosols.
• Examples include botulinum, staphylococcal enterotoxin, and ricin.

Action Against Violation of Human Rights Using Scientific Research

• The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act (PHSBPRA) was enacted in 2002.
• This act was signed by the President, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Agro-Bioterrorism

• Agricultural biotechnology professionals are primarily concerned with agricultural bioterrorism.
• Agriculture is considered a prime target for bioterrorism, known as agro-bioterrorism.
• Deliberate attacks on crops or livestock can severely damage a country's economy.

Defending Against Agro-Bioterrorism

• Countries with high-intensity agriculture practices focusing on limited varietals are vulnerable.
• Measures to protect against agro-bioterrorism include:
  • Increasing the use of intercropping
  • Expanding the diversity of genotypes used
  • Reducing the amount of land dedicated to mono-cropping

More Questions to Ask

• Relevant questions for homework assignments may concern:
  • Specific pathogens: influenza, SARS, corona, H1N1, and others.
  • Pathogen conversion to bioagents
  • Plant pathogens harming humans upon consumption.
  • Strategies for safeguarding against agro-bioterrorism.