Chemical weapons effects

By the final two decades of the twentieth century, individuals and small groups learned how to obtain and use biological and chemical weapons effectively. The tamper resistant pharmaceutical packaging we are familiar with today is a consequence of the intentional contamination of Extra Strength Tylenol capsules with cyanide (1). The first documented case of domestic biological terrorism occurred in Oregon in 1984, when a religious cult, the Rajneesh commune, sprinkled... 

Nowadays, terrorists have changed their tactics. Beside chemical weapons, they may use different toxic chemicals produced by the industry, the agriculture or failures in the industrial facilities during transportation, storage, fires and the like. They may take advantage also of the application of low doses of toxic chemicals which can provoke delayed and unknown effects of the intoxication. 

Only in 1997 the Convention on chemical weapons took effect for 87 member-countries - initiators of the Convention. According to the Convention to perform the requirements was created the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) with headquarters in Hague. 

Protection against Chemical Weapons. There are four main cornerstones in the protection against chemical weapons, all of which are largely dependent upon each other to provide optimum effect. These four are ... 

Weapons Convention is facilitated by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the assistance received through the contributions of member states and the utilisation of experts within and external to the OPCW. It also involves the coordination and delivery of specialised services from national agencies and other international organisations involved in providing emergency humanitarian assistance. The OPCW will continue its work on the cooperative efforts with many member states to maintain the effort to development, implement and train for an effective delivery of assistance in accordance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

Exposure to nerve agents is not restricted to the battlefield. Possible terrorist use of these weapons and the destruction of the chemical weapon depots certainly will increase the risk of exposure. Since treatment for intoxication with at least some of these organophosphorus (OP) acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors is still far from ideal, research efforts are devoted towards finding an effective treatment. 

Environmentally safe destruction of obsolete chemical weapons must be performed In facilities which assure total containment of blast effects and toxic gas In the event of an accidental detonation. Functional process requirements and recommended structural design procedures for containment rooms to accomplish this purpose are presented. The requirements presented are consistent with Department of the Army and Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board requirements. 

The toxicity of the P-halidc anhydrides, like that of phosphoroxychloride (POCl3) and of other organophosphorus compounds discussed earlier in this section, is due to their high efficiency as irreversible inactivators of acetylcholinesterase [157]. The main target organs for the lethal effects of these chemical weapons are the brain and diaphragm. As for the detoxification of the P-halide anhydrides, it can occur by a number of biochemical mechanisms, namely chemical hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and binding to hydrolases such as carboxylesterases, cholinesterases, and albumin [68][158][159]. 

No wonder the average citizen does not fully understand chemical warfare, when even the best-informed experts do not provide us with straightforward explanations. But perhaps they should not be too harshly criticized. Descriptions of the mechanisms and sequence of nerve gas effects are complex. Efforts to provide the details may produce confusion rather than enlightenment. The deadliness of mortar shells and Kalashnikovs may be familiar, but the complex effects of chemical weapons are not. 

The specter of chemical death persists. Like atom bombs, chemical weapons have been classified as weapons of mass destruction. But were they, and are they Nerve agents such as VX and sarin can certainly kill swiftly. But so can hundreds of familiar drugs and poisons. The real question is whether anyone within the limits of current technology can, in fact, use them effectively as lethal weapons on the battlefield. 

Why have there been no terrorist attacks with nerve agents in the many months since 9-11 The answer seems obvious chemical weapons are not particularly effective At best, they cause deaths in a circumscribed area where there is no protection and no escape. Two hundred kilograms of conventional high explosive, (the capacity of a SCUD missile) can cause more deaths than the same amount of "nerve gas." Any statement that such agents will cause tens of thousand of casualties is gross hyperbole. What is worse, it unnecessarily fans the flames of panic. 

In accordance with the terms of the international Chemical Weapons Convention, which became effective April 29, 1997, the signatories, including the United States, are to have destroyed their stockpiles of chemical agents and munitions by April 29, 2007. 

Loss of life or property from a terrorist attack at home or on om troops on a battlefield wonld be minimized or possibly prevented by the capability to detect the presence of chemical, biological, or radiological agents anywhere in the world. Detection capabilities are also reqnired at borders and U.S. ports of entry, where shipping containers and vehicles shonld be checked for evidence of chemical weapons, biological weapons, and explosives. Beyond detection, the capability to nnambignonsly identify observed threat agents is required to maximize the effectiveness of our response. 

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