If you've seen the before-and-after pictures of the Ukraine's Victor Yushchenko, you know he's the unfortunate poster-boy for bioterrorism. He was picture-perfect to our Hollywood sensibilities, with "was" being the operative word. He now looks like a totally different person, one you might guess has lived a life of chronic over-indulgence, with an eerie cast to his skin, not unlike climbers who've just made it off Everest with their lives. From movie star looks to arguably ogre-ish features, it all came from one tiny dose of pure TCDD, the most powerful dioxin known. Tiny in size, huge in effect.

While political machines and the media itself are spinning wildly with who did it and why, in once sense, who cares? The voices claiming he wasn't poisoned, or that it wasn't dioxin have quieted, and at the same time, a little bit of science has emerged. Dioxins are odorless and essentially tasteless, and it takes days or weeks, even months to reveal itself in humans, a chemical agent with a "poison-now-and-wait-for-the-shoe-to-drop" property.

In short, a perfect tool for bioterrorism.

I point this out, not to be alarmist, but to be perfectly direct. While this particular use had a single target, general bioterrorism weapons paint with a broader brush.

While doomsday scenarios were once mostly the stuff of science fiction - or what some have called speculative fiction - many readers regarded them lightly, as simply theoretical possibilities, and remote ones at that.

But we know better, don't we? With our own eyes, we have seen what TCDD can do to an individual. And we can remember the Sarin nerve gas attacks in the Tokyo subways nearly a decade ago. While killing 12 and affecting thousands, the Sarin gassings would have been far more deadly had not the technology of its delivery systems failed.

If Mr. Yushchenko appeared to die of an apparent heart attack, we might never have known he was poisoned. And even if we learned that fact afterward, he would simply be gone. Instead, he is a living, breathing reminder of the devastation possible.

Which leads me to ask: What lesson is here, and can we learn it in advance? Or, as some suggest, are we powerless?

I think there's power in the vision of how we already shield ourselves from computer viruses that roam the Internet. At this point in computer technology, we constantly update our virus checkers - at worst, a half-step behind the attackers. Though some viruses get through, it's not for long. Now let's move that vision to our society, where we constantly check our water, our air and the residues on our mail, our products and our persons. And let's imagine communicating problematic events wirelessly to all who need to know.

It's hypervigilance, to be sure, but that's not a problem for technology. Available for duty 24/7, technology doesn't get tired or degrade after hours on the job, and the larger technical environment can even be designed to ensure that all parts are in perfect order. Through technology, we can become a constantly "aware" society, not unlike the pertually- updating virus protector on our pc's.

And so back to Mr. Yushchenko: His swollen and pock-marked face is just the visible part of the physical pain he suffers, and the ultimate damage to his body will take years to assess.

Still, there is good news here, as well: Yushchenko appears to be as strong as an ox. And that is a blessing beyond belief.

I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.

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