Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What sarin is
Sarin 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 certain kinds of insecticides (insect killers) called
organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are
much more potent than organophosphate pesticides.
Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide.
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.
Additional Resources
OSHA. Chemical sampling: sarin [online]. 2010. [cited 2013 May 29]. Available from URL:
http://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_266495.html.
Medical Management Guidelines for Nerve Agents: Tabun (GA); Sarin (GB); Soman (GD); and VX. ATSDR, March 2011.
Pohanka, M; Binder, J; et al. Sarin Assay Using Acetylcholinesterases and Electrochemical Sensor Strip, Defense Science Journal
Vol 59(3): 300-304, May 2009.
Dale, TJ and Rebek, J. Nerve Gas Detection in a Fraction of a Second, Angew Chem Int Ed., Sept 2009.
Muse, WT and Thomson, SA. Generation, Sampling, and Analysis for Low-Level GF (Cyclo-Sarin) Vapor for Inhalation
Toxicology Studies, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command,
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD, October 2006.
Tokuda Y, Kikuchi M, Takahashi O. Prehospital Management of Sarin Nerve Gas Terrorism in Urban Settings: 10 Years of
Progress After the Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack. Resuscitation. Feb 2006;68(2):193-202. [Medline] .
National Center for Disaster Preparedness. Atropine Use in Children After Nerve Gas Exposure. Pediatric Expert Advisory
Panel (PEAP) Info Brief. Spring 2004.
McDonough JH. Midazolam: An Improved Anticonvulsant Treatment for Nerve Agent Induced Seizures. Defense Technical
Information Center. JAN 2002.
Eason, MP. Sarin Exposure: A Simulation Scenario, South Med J. 106(1): 55-62, 2013.
Sarin Causes Autonomic Imbalance and Cardiomyopathy: An Important Issue for Military and Civilian Health, J. Cardiovasc
Pharmacol, July 2012.
Herbert H. Hill, Jr. and Stephen J. Martin: Conventional analytical methods for chemical warfare agents*. Pure Appl. Chem.,
Vol. 74, No. 12, pp. 2281–2291, 2002.
R. M. Black, J. Chromatogr., B: Anal. Technol. Biomed. Life Sci., 2010, 878, 1207–1215.
Smart JK. History of chemical and biological warfare: An American perspective. In: Zaajtchuk R, Bellamy RF, eds. Textbook of
Military Medicine, Part 1: Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare. Offcieof the Surgeon General, United States
Army, 1997; 9-86.
Sidell FR. Nerve agents. In: Zaajtchuk R, Bellamy RF, eds. Textbook of Military Medicine, Part 1: Medical Aspects of Chemical
and Biological Warfare. Offcieof the Surgeon General, United States Army, 1997; 129-179.
Lee EC. Clinical manifestations of sarin nerve gas exposure. JAMA. 290(5): 659-662, 2003.
Page last reviewed: April 4, 2018