Chapter 9 Chemicals

CHEMICAL AGENTS

➢Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA)
➢ Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TIC)
➢ Nerve Agents
➢ Blister Agents
➢ Blood Agents
➢ Choking Agents

NERVE AGENTS

4 Significant Military Agents
▪ Tabun (GA)
▪ Sarin (GB)
▪ Soman (GD)
▪ Vx

Can cause death within minutes of exposure

Dissemination

Liquid

Vapor

Symptoms of nerve agents

- S Salivation (process of secreting saliva)
▪ L Lacrimination (secreting of tears in excess)
▪ U Urination
▪ D Defecation
▪ G Gastric Distress
▪ E Emesis (the act of vomiting)
▪ M Miosis (constriction of the pupil of the eyes

BLISTER AGENTS

These agents cause incapacitation through blistering of
the skin,
damage to eyes and lungs through inhalation

Types
▪ Mustard
▪ Lewisite
▪ Phosgene Oxime
➢ Dissemination
▪ liquid or vapor
▪ not commercially available

Choking Agents

Chemical Agents are either Persistent or Non-
Persistent
▪ Persistent – if agent remains a threat for 12 hours
or more
▪ Non-Persistent – if agent evaporates or degrades
in less than 12 hours

Biological Agents

➢ Biological Agents not as deadly
➢ Terrorist’s objectives to induce casualties through the spread of
panic and fear
➢ Panic & Fear are the threat (not death tolls)
➢ Characteristics of Biological Agents

ANTHRAX

➢ 24 People injured; 5 deaths
➢ Bacteria causes disease in cattle, sheep, and hoofed animals
➢ Forms spores to spread
➢ Not contagious from person to person
➢ Dissemination: solids
➢ Routes of Entry
▪ inhalation
▪ contact
▪ ingestion
▪ injection

RICIN

Type: toxin
➢ Most deadly component of castor beans
➢ Used through respiratory system
➢ Routes of Entry
▪ inhalation
▪ ingestion
▪ injection
➢ Incubation: 24-72 hours
➢ Can be 20-50 times more toxic than nerve agent Sarin

RADIOLOGICAL

➢ Parts of an Atom
▪ protons
▪ neutrons
▪ electrons
➢ Atom becomes unstable – too many
➢ Too few neutrons turns into radiation
➢ The “mad” atom spits out excess energy (radiation)
➢ This is called Ionizing Radiation

Radioactivity

the process of unstable atoms trying
to become stable by emitting ionizing energy

RADIOLOGICAL Safeguards

keep exposure and contamination “as low as
reasonably achieved” - ALARA
➢ 3 Items for Survival
▪ Time: Minimize
▪ Distance: Maximize
▪ Shielding: Use
➢ Doses
▪ Acute Large Dose = short time
▪ Chronic Small Doses = long time