CHEMICAL

AGENTS
At the end of the lesson you will be able to:
Understand the history of chemical warfare agents

Explain the properties and characteristics of

chemical warfare agents
Identify the mechanism of action and signs and
symptoms of chemical warfare agent intoxication
Describe protective level requirements for
chemical agents
Describe and discuss the various types of chemical
detection equipment, their capabilities, limitations
and their use
Identify examples of detection equipment
commonly used to detect chemical warfare agents
Describe the proper method of using such
chemical detection equipment
Lesson Plan Components

History of Chemical Use in War

Industrial Chemical Distinction
Chemical Warfare Agent
Characteristics
Biological Effects
 Chemical agents have been refined and
developed since they were first used as a
tactical weapon.

Some agents cannot be detected by the

senses, and the first signs of attack may be
the appearance of symptoms.

In some cases incapacitation or death can

occur from minimal contact with the agents.

A high standard of individual training is

essential to prevent large numbers of
casualties and to enable work to continue.
 CHARACTERISTICS
PHYSICAL STATE. Agents may be as:
1. Liquid splashes or as droplets
2. An aerosol which may be a fine liquid or spray, or
solid particles suspended in the air.
3. A gas or vapour.
4. A solid.

PERSISTENCY. Is a consideration of the period of time

during which chemical agents will remain a hazard.

ODOUR. Some chemical agents can be identified by a

characteristic odour, however, this can be unreliable as
a warning as most of these agents are rapid acting. As
a general rule, the purer the agent the less noticeable
the odour.
 CHARACTERISTICS (cont)

METHOD OF ENTRY. To be effective, an agent must

enter the body by one of three methods:

1. Inhalation is when the agent is breathed in,

also referred to as the respiratory route.

2. Absorption is the penetration of the skin or

eyes, also referred to as the percutaneous route.

3. Ingestion is when the agent is swallowed,

normally with food or water.
INDUSTRIALS CHEMICALS IN WW1
Industrial chemicals
used in WWI and
recently in Iraq
Chlorine - Cl

Phosgene CG

Both are available in

large quantities and
are transported on
railways across the
country.
Relatively easy to
steal/acquire.
 Industrial Chemicals
Chemicals that are produced to support
manufacturing and process industries

Some are highly toxic

A number of them will kill you
Multiple uses
They are manufactured for industry and
not designed to kill
 Industrial Chemicals &
Incapacitating Agents
Part of our lives
All around us
Multi-purpose
Can kill us but
its not their
intended use
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS
The Terrorist Threat
- These industrial
chemicals can appear in
a number of different
storage containers of
varying geometry
- Pressure cylinders,
industrial plants and rail
cars
- Used most recently by
the insurgency in Iraq
(chlorine)
 Blood Agents
Industrial chemicals

Hydrogen cyanide CG (volatile gas)

Cyanogen chloride CK (volatile gas)
Cyanide used in the Jonestown mass suicide

Cyanide is the toxic component. It can be found also in salts

such as sodium and potassium cyanide.

These agents are highly volatile, they do not stay around.

Dissipate very quickly
 Incapacitating Agents -
Lachrymators
Used by Military and Civil Response
Communities

Tear Gasses, Riot Control Agents

Chloroacetophenone (CS, CNS)
Bromobutyl Chloride BBC (volatile
incapacitating gas)

Riot control agents used primarily by military as

training systems and by civil response community as
crowd/riot control tools.
 Chemicals Warfare Agents
Toxic chemicals designed specifically
to cause death or injury to humans

Nerve agents (tabun, sarin, soman,

VX)
Vesicants or blister agents (mustard)
Chemical Warfare Agent
Categories

Nerve
(Organophosphates) &
Vesicant (Blister)
 Chemical Warfare Agents
Routes of Entry

Primarily inhalation hazards

Secondary percutaneous hazards
Act within minutes to hours

The V agents developed in the early 50s act by absorption

through the skin. G agents can also be absorbed through the
skin and eyes particularly if they have been mixed with a
thickener that slows evaporation, keeping them in liquid
form for a longer time.
Mechanism of Action: Nerve Agent
Intoxication

The organs (heart, lungs etc.),

glands (salivary etc.), and
muscles (smooth muscles of
airways, gastrointestinal tract
and skeletal muscles) function
under the control of nervous
input from the brain. The nerves
controlling activity at all these
sites are known as the
cholinergic nervous system. The
name comes from the fact that
when these nerves are
stimulated they secrete a
chemical called acetylcholine,
which is known as a
neurotransmitter.
Mechanism of Action: Nerve Agent
Intoxication

Acetylcholine is responsible for the

ability of nerves to transmit
impulses from one nerve to the
next, from a nerve to a muscle cell,
within an organ or to a gland cell.
Under normal physiological
conditions, molecules of
acetylcholine, which are secreted
by the nerve terminal, are almost
instantaneously metabolized
(broken down) by the enzyme
acetyl cholinesterase. This activity
is essential as it prevents the effect
of the neurotransmitter continuing
unchecked for minutes or hours.
Mechanism of Action: Nerve Agent
Intoxication

Nerve agents are compounds

which have a very high affinity
for acetyl cholinesterase and
chemically combine with the
enzyme so that it no longer has
the ability to attach to and
metabolize (break down)
acetylcholine. Therefore when
acetylcholine is released from
the nerve, it remains active and
unrelentingly stimulates the
target receptor site causing an
adverse physiologic effect.
Mechanism of Action: Nerve Agent
Intoxication
This means the organs,
glands and muscles respond
"out of control" producing
typical signs of nerve agent
poisoning. Eventually the
respiratory system fails, the
cardiovascular system is
affected, the skeletal
muscles become paralyzed
and the brain is over
stimulated producing
convulsions and eventually
death.
 Signs and Symptoms of Nerve Agent
Intoxication

Develop rapidly after exposure (<1 to 60 min)

symptoms in order of severity; indicative of
exposure level
constricted pupils and dim vision

running nose, excessive salivation

feeling of tightness in the chest

muscular weakness

intestinal cramps and diarrhea

difficulty in breathing

convulsions
 The symptoms always appear in the order
described in the previous slide.

How many of these are exhibited depends

on the dose received.

Most casualties will show the first two

symptoms they are the most important
to remember.

Pin-point vision is a good indicator of

nerve agent exposure.
 Vesicant or Blister Agent

Mustard and Lewisite (H, L)

 Vesicant or Blister Agent
(mustard) Initial Exposure
latent period of 4 - 72
hours
pruritus, burning and
erythema, pain, delayed
vesiculation and edema
if severe: secondary
infection and systemic
manifestations such as
nausea, vomiting, pyrexia,
confusion and shock
 Vesicant or Blister Agent
(mustard) Initial Exposure
Moist and warm areas of
the body (groin, buttocks,
armpits) are more
susceptible to vapours.

One drop of mustard will

burn/blister approximately
40 cm2 (6in x 6 in), if
evenly spread.
 Skin Exposure to Mustard
Post effects of
Mustard
Purpose Designed
Agent
Used primarily to
inflict mass casualties
Permanent effects
Vesicant types:
sulfur mustard

nitrogen mustard

lewisite
Sulfur Mustard Characteristics

Percutaneous and inhalation hazard

Signs and symptoms delayed 2-24 hours
Poisonous liquid, normally amber to black
color with garlic or horseradish odor
Freezing point: 14.5oC
Low vapor pressure: 0.11 mm Hg (25oC)
Persistent agent
 Distilled mustard is colorless.

Different technologies produce different compounds: Levinstein

mustard and British mustard.
Both processes result in by-products that are more toxic than
mustard.

The substance is usually referred to as mustard gas, even though its

boiling point is 217C. This is because the first chemical agents were
gaseous (chlorine, phosgene) and because the weapons used in WW
I presented a vapour hazard from the pools that accumulated
around the shells.

It is important to remember that there is no immediate pain

associated with mustard exposure. During the time between the
exposure and the onset of pain, the agent will penetrate the skin.
Nothing can be done at that point to reverse the symptoms.

Despite the fact that is has be known for so long, there is no existing
therapy. Treatment consists of tending to the symptoms.

Mustard is difficult to destroy, even with bleach.

 Signs and Symptoms Mustard
Exposure
Early
redness, inflammation, pain

tearing, irritation of mucosal membranes

coughing, sneezing
Later
skin blisters

skin necrosis

Inhalation can lead to pulmonary edema and

severe lung damage which results in death
Mustard symptoms depend on the site of exposure
 Eye Exposure to Mustard
Vapour
latent period of 4 - 12 hours

lacramation, pain,
conjunctivitis (redness),
photophobia and eyelid edema
Liquid
lacramation, photophobia,
Eye injury of lesser
eyelid edema, conjunctivitis severity 7 days after
(redness) and pain exposure; edema of
eyelid and conjunctivitis

Effects from exposure to liquids are the same,

but more immediate since the concentration of
chemicals is much greater.
Initial Treatment for Mustard Exposure

No specific antidotes exist

Wash affected casualties as quickly as possible

remove all clothing and double bag to avoid
further vapor hazard
Eyes:
Flood eyes immediately with water or saline
for several minutes; ocular damage may
occur within two minutes
Skin:
decontaminate casualty with hypochlorite
solution (household bleach diluted 1:10 with
water) followed by a liberal wash with soap
and water
 Lewisite
Percutaneous and inhalation hazard
Effects similar to mustard but more immediate
and painful
Poisonous liquid with geranium odor
Freezing point: -1.2oC
Low vapor pressure: 0.35 mm Hg (25oC)
Persistent agent
Often mixed with sulfur mustard
Lewisite, because of its lower freezing point, was
often mixed with mustard in order to allow a wider
range of temperatures within which the agents
would be effective weapons.

Lewisite contact causes immediate and severe pain.

It is a persistent agent but hydrolyzes readily,
especially if mixed with bleach.

Lewisite contains arsenic, which makes its disposal

problematic.
 Classification of
Agents
TOXICITY

DURATION OF
EFFECTIVENESS

EFFECTS ON THE BODY

 TOXICITY

TOXIC AGENTS are delivered with the primary

object of killing. The exception is the range of
blister agents which are primarily used for their
incapacitating effect however they can cause
death and are therefore classified as toxic.

NON TOXIC AGENTS are riot control and

incapacitating agents. They are designed to cause
temporary incapacitation without permanent
injury.
 DURATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

NON PERSISTENT AGENTS are gases or liquids

which evaporate quickly to produce a vapour
cloud which moves downwind, dispersing by
diffusion. The duration can last for minutes, hours
or days.

PERSISTENT AGENTS are solids or liquids which

will remain in the target area, presenting a
contact hazard and often evaporating slowly to
produce an vapour hazard which can last for days,
months or years.
 EFFECTS ON THE BODY
The third method of classification is to
group agents by their action on the body.

TOXIC AGENTS :
1. NERVE AGENTS interfere with the
nervous system and thus disrupt essential
body functions, for example, breathing,
muscular coordination and vision.

2. CHOKING AGENTS attack the breathing

passage and lungs.
EFFECTS ON THE BODY (cont)
3. BLOOD AGENTS prevent body tissues
from using the oxygen in the blood.

4. BLISTER AGENTS cause inflammation,

blistering of the skin and superficial
destruction of contaminated internal
tissues such as the lining of breathing
passages.
EFFECTS ON THE BODY (cont)
NON TOXIC AGENTS :

1. INCAPACITATING AGENTS cause

temporary disabling conditions, which can
be physical or mental and can persist for
hours or days after exposure to the agent
has ceased.

2. RIOT CONTROL AGENTS cause short term

disability. Tear agents CS and CN, and the
vomiting agent DM fall into this group.
 Comparative Data

VX

Sarin

Mustard

Hydrogen Cyanide

Phosgene

Cyanogen Chloride

Chlorine

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

QUESTION???