Signs and symptoms of chemical exposures

A deliberate event is an act or threat involving the intentional release of hazardous substances to cause harm. Hazardous substances include chemicals, biological agents and radiological materials. 

Deliberate events cover a wide spectrum of intent and public health impact. They can be on a small scale, for example, contaminating a few samples of a product to extort money from a retailer. 

They can also be on a large scale, such as the deliberate release of biological, chemical or radio-nuclear material by terrorists to kill or injure humans or animals, contaminate food or destroy crops. Terrorists have used explosive, flammable and toxic chemicals in their deliberate attacks, often with transportation systems as their main target. Deliberate events can also be intentional infectious disease outbreaks within a community. 

The development, production and use of biological and chemical weapons pose serious hazards on those who seek to use them, mainly defense and military, and on the entire civilian population. Their use or threatened use obliges governments both to seek to prevent such use and to prepare response plans, which can and should be developed as an integral part of existing national-emergency and public-health plans.