Table 1.
Comparison of terms related to bioterrorism
| Term | Caused by | Characteristics | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disaster [4] Sudden event | Nature | Exceeds capacity | Earthquake, floods, fire, hurricane |
| Equipment failure | Causes damage | Hazardous materials spill | |
| Human error | Ecological | Air crash | |
| Biological hazard | Loss of life | Epidemic | |
| Disease | Civil strife | ||
| Mass Casualty [5] Single event | Natural forces | Significant disruption of health and safety | Hurricane, tornado |
| Infrastructure failure | Exceeds capability | Plane crash | |
| Conduct of people | Power outage | ||
| Terrorist attack | |||
| Act of war | |||
| Terrorism [1] Violence, force | Political motivation | Overwhelms capacity | May involve weapons of mass destruction (CBRNE) |
| Against civilians | Cyber-terrorism, agro-terrorism and eco terrorism | ||
| Instills fear | |||
| Crime | |||
| Bioterrorism [1] Violence, force—may emerge slowly | Political motivation | Against civilians | Bioagents |
| Instill fear | |||
| Crime | |||