Agents Used in Terrorist Attacks

Upon completion of this chapter you should be able to  

List the methods for dispersing the agent in a chemical weapons attack. 

List the classes of agents used In chemical weapons attacks and differentiate them by clinical presentation. 

Discuss specific decontamination and treatment of victims of a nerve agent attack. 

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To establish themselves as significant players in the political realm, splinter groups tend to be both more violent and more experimental than their parent groups. For example, Ansar al-Islam, a splinter from the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK) that associates with al Qaeda, established a lab in northern Iraq to manufacture and test chemical and biological agents, including ricin, for use in terrorist attacks [40]. 

Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate. Sarin. Most volatile of the better-known nerve agents. Mp -57°C vapour pressure at 25°C 2.9 mmHg volatility at 25°C 22 000 mg/m3. Anticholinesterase. Used in terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995. Lethal dose for humans similar to GA qv. 

Nerve agents are the most toxic chemical warfare agents known. They cause effects within seconds and death within minutes. These agents are in the military stockpiles of several countries but have been used in only one war. They can be manufactured by terrorist groups and have been used in terrorist attacks. 

ANFO Ammonium nitrate-fuel oil. A mixture used extensively as a blasting agent in mining and quarrying. The proportions are approximately 94% ammonium nitrate and 6% fuel oil. ANFO has been used in terrorist attacks (e.g. an attack on the Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, in 1995). 

TOXIC AGENTS THAT MAY BE USED IN TERRORIST ATTACKS... 

A detailed study of incidents with CWs linked to A1 Qaeda shows that cyanides, ricin, and TICs have been the main choices of jihadist terrorists (Pita, 2007). Nerve agents also seem to be of interest, especially because of their toxicological and physico-chemical properties, which make them ideal for tactical use in terrorist attacks. However—and as previously mentioned—the synthesis process requires some level of expertise and is far more complex than the recipes featured in jihadist manuals. 

There are numerous other instances of cyanide poisoning that include illicit s)mthesis of phencyclidine, ingestion of nail polish remover (acetonitrile), use in terrorist attacks, use as suicidal, homicidal, and chemical warfare agents, and use in capital pxmishment. HCN was considered to be a notorious chemical warfare agent because of its rapid lethal actions. It was used as a war gas in World War I (Gee, 1987), in World War II (V tilliams and Wallace, 1989), and in the Iran-Iraq War (Lang et al., 1986 Heylin, 1988). Because of poor persistence of HCN in the environment and lack of delivery system, cyanides were not optimistically considered for future use in wars. However, its possible use in local... 

The 1995 Tokyo subway incident involved sarin release, which killed 12 and sent over 500 people to hospitals. This incident vividly illustrates how the world community and each individual nation continue to face the real threat of casualties from chemical warfare agents used for terrorist purposes. Since those critical events, however, the preparedness of health-care providers in developed countries towards best countering of chemical terrorist attacks has not significantly improved. 

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