During 1979, in the Soviet Union, there was an accidental leak of anthrax. This accident lead to the death of sixty-four inhabitants and showed that scientists have no control over their stockpiles (Introduction). If sixty-four people can be killed by accident, imagine how many could be killed with the motivation of winning a war? The results would be tragically catastrophic. In the past, denizens would stop at nothing to try and control a pandemic, but today scientists are creating agents to start them. .
Biological warfare is not always reliable, as it is reliant on the weather. The most common way for these toxins of organic origins to be disseminated is through the air by aerosol sprays: "To be an effective biological weapon, airborne germs must be dispersed as fine particles" (Hooker). These agents can also be used in explosives such as bombs. This tactic is not as effective because the germs tend to be destroyed in the blast, rendering "less than five percent of the agent capable of causing disease" (Hooker). When biological warfare is used, the viruses are sprayed by an airplane or released by a bomb. Both strategies require the germs to be carried through the air by the wind making it hard to deliver to just the intended targets: But, if the wind is not blowing the right way, the germs will not reach the targets. Even if the wind is blowing the right way, it may change direction. Also, a biological weapon might backfire and injure the troops or civilians of the power using it. By their very nature, biological weapons are hard to control. (Biological Weapons) .
The germ will not reach the desired target if the wind is not blowing the intended way. Since the wind is a natural force, it cannot be controlled. The wind may also end up carrying the virus to one's own troops and injuring them. The temperature and sunlight affect the survivability of infectious microorganisms and may lead to inactivation.