No Banned Arms Found in Iraq So Far, U.S. Inspector Confirms

Chief U.S. weapons searcher David Kay reported Thursday he had found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, a finding that brought fresh congressional complaints about the Bush administration's prewar assertions of an imminent threat from Saddam Hussein.

Kay, in a report to Congress, described evidence of a possible small-scale biological weapons effort, and said searchers had substantial evidence of an Iraqi push to boost the range of its ballistic missiles beyond prohibited ranges.

But his team had found only limited evidence of any chemical weapons effort, he said, and there was almost no sign that a significant nuclear weapons project was under way.

``We have not found at this point actual weapons,'' Kay said. ``It does not mean we've concluded there are no actual weapons.''

``In addition to intent, we have found a large body of continuing activities and equipment that were not declared to the U.N. inspectors when they returned in November of last year,'' he said.

He cautioned that the search was still under way and said he should know within six to nine months if there was more to be found.

The lack of substantive findings so far brought immediate negative reactions from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress -- and also seemed certain to raise new questions among allies overseas about the Bush administration's justification for going to war.

``I'm not pleased by what I heard today, but we should be willing to adopt a wait and see attitude -- and that's the only alternative we really have,'' said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said of Kay's briefing: ``There was talk about facilities that might. There was talk about intent. But there was not talk about weapons of mass destruction. ... There's nothing we can point to and they're asking for another six to nine months.''

The administration's assertions about Iraq's weapons programs and ties to terrorism, and the intelligence conclusions behind those assertions had driven the administration's case for war.

Critics have contended that either the CIA and other agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community made serious errors in their analysis or the administration exaggerated what intelligence information it did have to persuade a skeptical world to support an invasion.

The administration is asking for $600 million to continue the hunt for conclusive evidence that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, according to congressional officials.

Separately, CIA Director George J. Tenet, in a letter to the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee obtained by The Associated Press, rejected congressional criticism that the prewar intelligence findings were flawed.

Tenet's statement came in response to a blistering letter from Reps. Porter Goss, R-Fla., and Jane Harman, D-Calif., the heads of the House intelligence committee. That letter, dated Sept. 25, cited ``significant deficiencies with respect to the collection activities concerning Iraq's WMD and ties to al-Qaida prior to the commencement of hostilities there.''

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday ``it will be unfortunate'' if it turns out that intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq turns out to have been seriously flawed.

-- On biological weapons, a single vial of a strain of botulinum, a poison that can be used as a weapon, located at the home of a known biological weapons scientist.

-- On chemical weapons, multiple sources told the weapons hunting group that Iraq did not have a large, ongoing, centrally controlled program after 1991. There had been reports that Iraq retained some of its old chemical weapons but Kay said none had been found.

-- On nuclear weapons, Kay said in his statement to Congress that despite evidence of Saddam's continued ambition to acquire nuclear weapons, ``to date we have not uncovered evidence that Iraq undertook significant post-1998 steps to actually build nuclear weapons or produce fissile material.''

-- But on missiles, Kay said the team had ``discovered sufficient evidence to date to conclude that the Iraqi regime was committed to delivery system improvements.''

On biological weapons, a single vial of a strain of botulinum, a poison that can be used as a weapon, located at the home of a known biological weapons scientist

Is this not the smoking gun we've been looking for?

Botulinum fact sheet:

http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org/pages/agents/agentbotox.html Botulinum Toxin Fact Sheet Info Botulinum toxin poses a major bioweapons threat because of its extreme potency and lethality; its ease of production, transport and misuse; and the potential need for prolonged intensive care in affected persons. Botulinum toxin is the single most poisonous substance known.

A number of states named by the U.S. State Department as "state sponsors of terrorism" have developed or are developing botulinum toxin as a biological weapon. Aum Shinrikyo tried but failed to use botulinum toxin as a biological weapon.

Botulinum toxin is derived from the genus of anaerobic bacteria named Clostridia. Seven antigenic types of botulinum toxin exist, designated from A through G. They can be identified based on antibody cross reactivity studies - i.e., anti-A toxin antibodies do not neutralize the B through G toxins.

Naturally occurring botulism is the disease that results from the absorption of botulinum toxin into the circulation from a mucosal surface (gut, lung) or a wound. It does not penetrate intact skin. The toxin irreversibly binds to peripheral cholinergic synapses, preventing the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from the terminal end of motor neurons. This leads to muscle paralysis, and in severe cases, can lead to a need for mechanical respiration.

The incubation period for food-borne botulism can be from 2 hours to 8 days after ingestion, depending on the dose of the bacteria or the toxin. The average incubation period is 12-72 hours after ingestion. Patients with botulism typically present with difficulty speaking, seeing and/or swallowing. Prominent neurologic findings in all forms of botulism include ptsosis, diplopia, blurred vision, dysarthria and dysphagia. Patients typically are afebrile and do not have an altered level of consciousness. Patients may initially present with gastrointestinal distress, nausea, and vomiting preceding neurological symptoms. Symptoms are similar for all toxin types, but the severity of illness can vary widely, in part depending on the amount of toxin absorbed. Recovery from paralysis can take from weeks to months and requires the growth of new motor nerve endings. In the event botulism is suspected, the hospital epidemiologist and local and state health departments should be contacted immediately.

Natural cases of botulism are rare and typically result from food contamination. Many types of food have been associated in outbreaks in the past, with the common factor being that implicated food items were not heated or were incompletely heated. Heat > 85oC inactivates the toxin. The largest botulism outbreak in the U.S. in the past century occurred in 1977, when 59 people became ill from poorly preserved jalapeño peppers.

No cases of waterborne botulism have ever been reported. This is likely due to the large amount of toxin needed, and the fact that the toxin is easily neutralized by common water treatment techniques.

A deliberate aerosol or food-borne release of botulinum toxin could be detected by several features including: a large number of acute cases presenting all at once; cases involving an uncommon toxin type (C, D, F, G, or non-aquatic food associated E); patients with a common geographic factor but without a common dietary exposure; and, multiple simultaneous outbreaks without a common source.

Diagnosis and testing are available at the CDC and some local and state laboratories. The standard test for the toxin is the mouse bioassay. Unfortunately, this assay is time consuming. Future development is focused on rapid diagnosis/detection. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays that can detect the Clostridia spp. bacterial DNA toxin sequences are currently under development. Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assays (ELISAs) are being developed to detect functionally active toxins.

In the event that there is a clinical suspicion of botulinum toxin, treatment with antitoxin should not be delayed for microbiological testing. In the U.S., licensed botulinum antitoxin is available from the CDC via state and local health departments. An investigational heptavalent antitoxin is held by the U.S. Army. Optimal therapy for botulism requires early suspicion of the disease and prompt administration of antitoxin in conjunction with supportive care. Supportive care for patients with botulism may include mechanical ventilators in the intensive care unit, parenteral nutrition, and treatment of secondary infections.

An investigational botulinum toxoid is used to provide immunity for laboratory workers. It has been used to provide immunity against botulinum toxin over the past 30 years. However, supply of the toxoid is limited, and use of it would eliminate possible beneficial uses of toxoid for medical purposes. The toxoid induces immunity over several months and so would not be effective for rapid, post-exposure prophylaxis.

Existing technologies could produce large reserves of human antibody against the botulinum toxin. Administration of such a therapy could provide immunity of up to a month or greater and obviate the need for rationing the equine antitoxin. The development of such a human antibody reserve would require sufficient resources be dedicated to this problem.

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