Chemical terrorism nerve agents

State of New York, Department of Health. (Unknown year). The Facts About Nerve Agents. Albany, NY, State of New York, Department of Health, July 23. Last viewed October 10, 2006, NFp // W mv.health.state. uy.Mr/nysdoh/bt/chemical terrorism/nerve agents general.htm... 

Cult members of the Aum Shinrikyo in Japan released sarin nerve agent on the subway in March 1995, killing a dozen people and causing more than a thousand injuries. In terms of its overall lethality, the use of nerve agent in this case was limited. But it certainly was a case of chemical terrorism. Similarly, looking at... 

In June 1994 and again in May 1995 the Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo created much havoc when they released the deadly nerve agent sarin in two Japanese cities. In the first attack in Matsumoto, Japan, sarin vapor was released in a residential area where judges unfriendly to the cult resided. Seven people died as a consequence of this nerve agent exposure, and 500 people were injured. The 1995 attack occurred in the Tokyo subway system. Several coordinated releases of this potentially deadly vapor resulted in more than 5,000 visits to local emergency departments. Fortunately, the vast majority of exposed victims had few if any symptoms and there were only a handful of fatalities (Tucker, 2006 for further discussion, see chapter 19—Biological and Chemical Terrorism A Unique Threat). 

The Tokyo subway sarin attack occurred in 1995, following the Matsumoto sarin attack, and served as a wake-up call for anti-NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) terrorism policy throughout the world. In the 10 years since the attack, efforts to combat NBC terrorism have focused on rapid and effective measures to respond to attacks employing nerve agents such as sarin. 

Okumrua, T., Suzuki, K., Fukuda, A., Ishimatsu, S., Miyanoki, S., Kumada, K., Takasu, N., Fujii, C., Kohama, A., Hinohara, S. (1999). Preparedness against nerve agent terrorism. In Natural and Synthetic Toxins Biological Implications (A.T. Tu, W. Gaffield, eds), pp. 356-68. American Chemical Society, Oxford University Press, Washington DC. 

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). 

How to Confront Chemical Terrorism (Medical Management of Nerve Agent Casualties)... 

At the St. Luke s International Hospital, one of three cardiopulmonary arrest victims and two respiratory arrest patients recovered fully and have been socially rehabilitated. This is important and shows that triage in cases of chemical terrorism must be different from that used in large-scale natural disasters. In the latter case, if respiration does not resume after establishing an airway, then trauma victims are generally labeled with a black tag and not treated further (Hodgetts and Porter, 2004). However, in a chemical terrorism attack caused by a nerve agent, medical care should be actively provided to patients with cardiopulmonary or respiratory arrest recovery by such patients is clearly possible. 

Recent global events have focused attention on the potential threat of international and domestie chemical terrorism as well as the possibility of chemical warfare (CW) proliferation. The need for preparedness is highlighted by the wdi-documenicd domestic terrorist u.se of an anticholinesterase compound during the Tokyo subway incident of March 1995, when commuters received toxic inhalation and dermal exposures to a nerve agent deliberately released within subway cars and stations (Liliibridge, 1995 Morita et al., 1995 Okumura el al., 1996 Sidell, 1996). 

The use of chemical and biological weapons for terrorism became a key concern of the U.S. Army in the 1990s. In 1994, a Japanese religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo, reportedly released nerve agent in a residential area of Matsumoto, Japan, that killed 7 and injured 500. A second attack on 20 March 1995 spread sarin through a crowded Tokyo subway. This act of terrorism killed 12 and caused more than 5,500 civilians to seek medical attention. After the attacks, news accounts reported that the cult had developed a helicopter to spray toxins, a drone for unmanned chemical and biological attacks, and their own strains of botulism. They had also allegedly attempted to obtain the Ebola virus from Zaire.246 248... 

Concerns about the possible use of chemical agents in acts of terrorism have increased in the decade since the nerve agent Sarin caused a mass casualty incident in the Tokyo subway system. Chemical warfare poisons include nerve agents, vesicants, cyanides, riot control agents, and pulmonary irritants. Presenting symptoms as well as the clinical circumstances may help identify the agent and lead to effeotive treatment as well as proper decontamination. 

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