Chemical
warfare agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids or solids that
have toxic effects on people, animals or plants. They can be released
by bombs, sprayed from aircraft, boats, or vehicles, or used as a
liquid to create a hazard to people and the environment. Some chemical
agents may be odorless and tasteless. They can have an immediate effect
(a few seconds to a few minutes) or a delayed effect (several hours
to several days). While potentially lethal, chemical agents are difficult
to deliver in lethal concentrations. Outdoors, the agents often dissipate
rapidly.Chemical agents are also difficult to produce. There are six
types of agents:
o Lung-damaging (pulmonary) agents such as phosgene,
o Cyanide,
o Vesicants or blister agents such as mustard,
o Nerve agents such as GA (tabun), GB (sarin), GD (soman), GF, and
VX,
o Incapacitating agents such as BZ, and
o Riot-control agents (similar to Mace).
Common Chemical Terrorism Agents
CYANIDE
- Cyanide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that
can exist in various forms.
-Cyanide can be a colorless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or
cyanogen chloride (CNCl), or a crystal form such as sodium cyanide
(NaCN) or potassium cyanide (KCN).
-Cyanide gas sometimes is described as having a “bitter almond”
smell, but it does not always give off an odor, and not everyone
can detect this odor.
-Cyanide is also known by the military designations AN (for hydrogen
cyanide) and CK (for cyanogen chloride).
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SARIN
(GB)
-Sarin is a man-made chemical warfare agent classified
as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and
rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are
similar to certain kinds of insecticides called organophosphate
insecticides in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful
effects they cause; however, nerve agents are much more potent than
insecticides.
-Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany
as an insecticide.
-Sarin is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid
that has no odor in its pure form. However, sarin can evaporate
into a vapor (gas) and spread into the environment.
-Sarin is also known as GB.
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RICIN
-Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste
left over from processing castor beans.
-It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet,
or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.
-It is a stable substance. For example, it is not affected
much by extremE conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.
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SOMAN (GD)
- Soman
is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve
agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare
agents. They are similar to insecticides called organophosphate insecticides
in terms of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause.
However, nerve agents are much more potent than insecticides.
-Soman was originally developed as an insecticide in
Germany in 1944.
-Soman is also known as “GD.”
-Soman is a clear, colorless, tasteless liquid with
a slight camphor odor (for example, Vicks Vapo-Rub®) or
rotting fruit odor.
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SULFUR MUSTARD
- Sulfur mustard is a type of chemical warfare agent.
These kinds of agents are called vesicants or blistering agents,
because they cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes
on contact.
-Sulfur mustard is also known as "mustard gas or
mustard agent," or by the military designations H, HD,
and HT.
-Sulfur mustard sometimes smells like garlic, onions,
or mustard and sometimes has no odor. It can be a vapor (the
gaseous form of a liquid), an oily-textured liquid, or a solid.
-Sulfur mustard can be clear to yellow or brown when
it is in liquid or solid form.
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TABUN (GA)
-Tabun is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified
as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly
acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar
to insecticides called organophosphate insecticides in terms
of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause. -However,
nerve agents are much more potent than insecticides.
-Tabun was originally developed as an insecticide in
Germany in 1936.
-Tabun is also known as “GA.”
-Tabun is a clear, colorless, tasteless liquid with
a faint fruity odor.
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VX
-VX is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified
as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly
acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar
to insecticides called organophosphate insecticides in terms
of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause. However,
nerve agents are much more potent than insecticides.
-VX was originally developed in the United Kingdom in
1952 by scientists who were searching for a replacement for
the insecticide DDT.
-VX is odorless and tasteless.
-VX is an oily liquid that is amber in color and very
slow to evaporate. It evaporates about as slowly as motor oil.
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Information
obtained from FEMA
and the CDC (Center
for Disease Control and Prevention)
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