Abstract
The concept of dual use refers to the misuse of civilian technology for hostile purposes. While dual use in warfare has been practiced for millennia, the global risks of an adverse biosecurity event happening today are hugely increased by the rapid advance of biotechnology research and industry. Arguably lacking in a parallel development of ethical consideration and debate, biotechnology is not only a massive benefactor to humankind but also a potential source of significant risk to human security due to its nature and scope. The possibilities for misuse arising from it not only include potential dual-use applications in the form of biological and/or chemical attacks by both state and non-state groups but also, and probably more likely, unintentional outcomes arising in the form of accidental exposures. This entry looks at some examples of historical and current events and considers some ethical approaches in a bid to introduce the topic in a general sense and relate it to bioethics.
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Further Readings
Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 28(1). (2012). Special Issue: Preventing the hostile use of the life sciences and biotechnologies: Fostering a culture of biosecurity and dual use awareness. http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fmcs20/28/1. Accessed 15 Sept 2014.
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The website of the International Red Cross contains a library of relevant documents such as international conventions, declarations and other items of interest relating to dual use issues. https://www.icrc.org/en/war-and-law. Accessed 15 Sept 2014.
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Sture, J.F. (2014). Dual Use. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_155-1
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