Chemical terrorism antidotes

Kassa, J. (2005). The role of oximes in the antidotal treatment of chemical casualties exposed to nerve agents. In Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Terrorism. Chemical Terrorism and Traumatism (A. Monov, C. Dishovsky, eds), pp. 193-208. Publishing House of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, Sofia (available at http //wwwjmedchemdef.org/ archives.html). 

D. T. Lawrence and M. A. Kirk, Chemical Terrorism Attacks Update on Antidotes, Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am., 2007, 25, 567-595. 

Sadly, chemical warfare weapons are dangerous instruments of terror. Two recent episodes in which sarin was used by terrorists in Japan cast a cloud over attempts to control the use of these weapons. Sarin was released in a residential area of the city of Matsumoto on June 27, 1994, and in a crowded Tokyo subway less than a year later, on March 20, 1995. In Matsumoto, about 600 residents and rescuers were affected and seven died. More than 5500 people were poisoned and 12 died in the Tokyo incident. Many more might have perished if it were not for the quick action and bravery of firemen, police, and others and the availability of antidotes in Japanese hospitals. (Two subway attendants died removing containers of sarin from subway cars.)... 

V. Treatment. For expert assistance in management of chemical agent exposures and to access pharmaceutical antidote stockpiles that may be needed, contact your local or state health agency or regional Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS). In addition, it an act of terrorism is suspected, contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

Many of the actions required for effective consequence management are agent-specific (antidotes, for example). Some have argued that chemical and biological terrorism are especially vexing problems, because would-be terrorists have a much longer list of agents from which to choose... 

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