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Table 1. Effects and treatment of some chemical weapons developed for military use
|
Nerve Agents |
Blister Agents (injure skin, eyes, and airways) |
Blood Agents (cause blood changes and heart problems) |
Choking Agents |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Examples |
Sarin |
VX |
Mustard |
Lewisite |
Hyrdogen Cyanide |
Cyanogen Cyanide |
Chlorine |
Phosgene |
|
Odor |
Odorless |
Garlic or Mustard |
Geraniums |
Burnt Almonds |
Bleach |
Mown hay |
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|
Persistency* |
Non-persistent (min. to hrs.) |
Persistent (> 12hrs.) |
Persistent |
Non-persistent |
Non-persistent; Vapors may hang in low areas |
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|
Rate of Action |
Rapid for vapors; liquid effects may be delayed |
Delayed |
Rapid |
Rapid |
Rapid at high concentrations; delayed at lower concentrations |
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|
Signs and Symptoms |
Headache, runny nose, salivation, pinpointing of pupils, difficulty in breathing, tight chest, seizures, convulsions, nausea, and vomiting |
Red, burning skin, blisters, sore throat, dry cough; pulmonary edema, eye damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Symptoms may be delayed 2 to 24 hrs |
Cherry red skin/lips, rapid breathing, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, dilated pupils, excessive salivation, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, pulmonary edema,respiratory arrest |
Eye and airway irritation, dizziness, tightness in chest, pulmonary edema, painful cough, nausea, headache |
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|
First Aid |
Remove from area, treat symptomatically, Atropine and pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM chloride), diazepam for seizure control |
Decontaminate with copious amount of water, remove clothing, support airway, treat symptomatically |
Remove from area, assist ventilations, treat symptomatically, administer cyanide kit |
Remove from area, remove contaminated clothing, assist ventilations, rest |
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|
Decontamination |
Remove from area, remove clothing, flush with soap and water, aerate |
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* How long a chemical remains at toxic levels |
Table 2. Varying toxicity of chemicals
The more toxic a chemical, the smaller the amount of chemical required to cause harm. This table compares the lethal concentrations in parts per million (ppm) for acute (all-at-once) exposures to some chemical weapons and some common industrial chemicals.
| Chemical Agent | Approx. Lethal Concentration* (in ppm) |
|---|---|
| Some chemical weapons | |
| Sarin (GB) | 36 |
| Hydrogen Cyanide** | 120 |
| Some industrial chemicals | |
| Chlorine** | 293 |
| Hydrogen chloride | 3,000 |
| Carbon monoxide | 4,000 |
| Ammonia | 16,000 |
| Chloroform | 20,000 |
| Vinyl chloride | 100,000 |
| *Based on LC50 values in laboratory rats: exposure concentration for 60 minutes at which 50% of rats would die. Rats are used for toxicology tests in part because of similarity to humans, but they are likely to be more susceptible because they have higher metabolisms. | |
| **Used both as chemical weapons and as industrial chemicals | |
| Source: NRC, EPA, and ATSDR |