Economic Impacts
The Cost of Biowarfare
Bioweapons have been described as the "poor man's atom bomb" by many respected figures, including the Reaching Will organization. The production of biological weapons does not need to be expensive, but larger investments in biowarfare can make biological against more cost-effective.
Firstly, biological agents are relatively easier to locate than raw materials for nuclear or chemical weapons. For example, ricin (an illegal drug) is relatively easy to obtain by extracting it from castor beans, which is a simple task. A few grains of ricin have the potential to kill adults in a relatively short time. Ricin is just of the few examples where a toxic biological agent is readily available in a very cost-effective manner.
Supply and demand play a crucial role in the pricing of products. However, the most inexpensive biological weapons are among the most lethal. The CDC estimates that bioweapons can have an economic impact ranging from 500 million to 25 billion dollars per 100,000 people. The total costs of a bioweapon attack consist of medical expenses, cure research costs, cleanup costs and possible infrastructure which are depended on how much damage has been done. Despite the total economic costs, bioweapons can be made with as little as 1 USD per square kilometer as opposed to 800 USD with conventional weapons.
Under the right circumstances, biological weapons have the potential to be the most cost-effective weapons. Biological weapons are expected to become more lethal and less expensive to produce, making it essential to invest more in methods to minimize the loss of life and wealth.
