However, this also means that their use comes with a greater risk of accidental exposure – either to those who intend to deploy them or unintended victims who may come into contact with the microbe. In addition, depending on the type and strain being used, some microbes may not be able to survive in certain environments (e.g. extreme temperatures) which makes them impractical for certain situations. Therefore while there are definite benefits to using microbes over hardware explosives, there are also potential drawbacks which must be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not they should be employed.