Chemical lethal

Storage stability Store DF in lead and wax-lined carboys, high-density polyethylene bottles, or nickel-lined containers in well-ventilated areas. Never store DF with alcohols DF will react with alcohols to form lethal chemicals, such as crude GB. Incompatible with water, glass, concrete, most metals, natural rubber, leather, and organic materials like glycols. The acidic corrosive hydrolysis products may react with metals, such as Al, Pb, and Fe, to give off hydrogen gas, a potential fire and explosive hazard. 

In the production of the herbicide 2,4,5-T (2,4,5 tetrachlorophenoxyacetic acid), a dioxin (2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzodioxine) is often formed. Not only has it been called the second most lethal chemical ever discovered but it can also produce birth defects. During the early 1970s there were court battles over whether 2,4,5-T should be banned because of the possible presence of the dioxin. The Dow Chemical Company maintained that no detectable dioxin was produced in its process and that therefore its product was safe and should not be taken off the market. In this instance, the removal and hence concentration of the dioxin would pose problems of such a magnitude that the only feasible reaction conditions are the ones that produce no dioxin. 

Abstract Main features of the R D resulting in the new means for primary decontamination of chemical warfare agents based on the chemisorption principle introduced into the Czech Army s individual decontamination mean IPB-80 and into the Czech Civil Protection first aid kit ZPJ-80, and in the upgrading of sets for secondary decontamination PCHB-60-P and PCHP-60-P are presented. First results of R D on universal solutions for detoxification of super-toxic lethal chemical warfare agents on human skin are shown and discussed. 

Main types of supertoxic lethal chemical warfare agents, i.e. HD, GB, GD, medemo and VX, as described in [1] were used undiluted. 

Percutaneous toxicides of supertoxic lethal chemical warfare agents in tested experimental animals are summarized in table 1. 

Matousek J. Protective properties of standard combat clothing against skin penetration of supertoxic lethal chemical warfare agents. In Sohns T., Voicu V. A. (Eds.) NBC Risks Current Capabilities and Future Perspectives for Protection. Kluwe Academic Publishers, Dordrecht - Boston - London, 1999, pp 303-310. 

Matousek J. Means for decontamination of supertoxic lethal chemicals on human skin. Symposium on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats in the 21st Century, NBC-2000, Helsinki-Espoo 2000. Symposium Proceedings, Research Report No 75, University of Jyvaskyla 2000, pp. 216-221. 

In 1996, persuaded by the public opposition in Lexington, Kentucky, and Pueblo, Colorado, Congress enacted Public Law 104-201, which instructed the Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct an assessment of the chemical demilitarization program for destruction of assembled chemical munitions and of the alternative demilitarization technologies and processes (other than incineration) that could be used for the destruction of the lethal chemical agents that are associated with these munitions. The Army established a... 

Paradoxical as it may seem, one can use chemical weapons to spare lives, rather than extinguish them. The world watched in fascination when the Russians, in November 2002, chose to deploy a relatively non-lethal chemical weapon in a Moscow theater. Inside were a few dozen Chechen rebels, armed with grenades and automatic weapons, holding hostage almost a thousand innocent Russian civilians. The terrorists were prepared to destroy everyone in the building if the Russians did not meet their demands. Fanatical and desperate, they were not afraid to die along with their victims. 

To me, the political and ideological forces that drive official policies have become tragic obstacles to a rational discussion of chemical weapons, even the gentler forms. Congressional and public opinion continues to be opposed to any form of chemical weaponry. Thus, it may be a long time before we witness another attempt to use non-lethal chemical weapons, even against the most lethal of enemies. This is not necessarily good news. 

Song Why Non-Lethal Chemical Agents are Lethal. Federation of American Scientists Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program, March 2003... 

There is a practical point to be considered here, since there are safety regulations which prevent women of childbearing age from exposure to suspected chemicals, and these regulations seem to be based on the premise that paternal exposure would not be expressed for some reason. This irrational regulatory status may be based on the belief that, since human sperm develop to maturity in about two weeks, exposed sperm will somehow disappear or possibly be killed. However, this approach ignores the fact that the basal germ cell stays there, and remembers all of its unrepaired, non-lethal chemical insults. 

Dolma S, Lessnick SL, Hahn WC et al (2003) Identification of genotype-selective antitumor agents using synthetic lethal chemical screening in engineered human tumor cells. Cancer Cell 3 285-296... 

Nerve agents Highly toxic and potentially lethal chemical agents that affect the human nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme that aids the transmission of nerve impulses. Causes blurred vision, weeping, nausea, vomiting, urinary incontinence, respiratory distress, and reduced mental capability by attacking the nervous system. 

One idea is that neurons in some patients destined to have Alzheimer s disease have an abnormality in the DNA that codes for a protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP) (Fig. 12—16). The abnormal DNA starts a lethal chemical cascade in neurons (Figs. 12—17 and 12—18), ultimately resulting in Alzheimer s disease (Figs. 

FIGURE 12—16. The amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer s disease (part 1). A leading contemporary theory for the biological basis of Alzheimer s disease centers around the formation of beta amyloid. Perhaps Alzheimer s disease is essentially a disease in which the abnormal deposition of beta amyloid reaches the point of destroying neurons. Thus, Alzheimer s disease may be essentially a problem of too much formation of beta amyloid, or too little removal of it. One idea is that neurons in some patients destined to have Alzheimer s disease have an abnormality in the DNA that codes for a protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP). The abnormal DNA starts a lethal chemical cascade in neurons, beginning with the formation of an altered APP. 

At the same time as they experimented with more lethal chemical agents, both sides worked to develop more effective methods of agent delivery. Gas cloud attacks relied on the wind in the absence of wind or if the wind blew from the wrong direction, gas cylinders were useless. 

There are two points that emerge from these chapters that are worth drawing brief attention to here. First, it is clear that in those rare cases since the First World War when chemical weapons have been used on a substantial scale, it has always been against an enemy known to be deficient in anti-gas protective equipment or retaliatory capability. Second, in all substantiated cases of chemical warfare during the twentieth century, the employment of chemical irritants, such as tear gas, has always preceded the resort to more lethal chemical agents. This is true for the First World War, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, the Japanese invasion of China and the Yemeni Civil War. In Vietnam, where irritants were used on a scale approaching that of the First World War, the reports of uses of more lethal chemicals remain unsubstantiated. These points seem to... 

Fortitude save as normal. These grenades may be loaded with any chemical agent, but the most popular contain a simple knockout drag and are used by police to deal with large crowds without the need for lethal force. More exotic or lethal chemicals raise the purchase DC by 5 or more, at the GO.D. s discretion. The purchase DC is for a box of six grenades. 

As an approach to munitions disposal, the Army has developed a Chemical Agent Munitions Disposal System (CAMDS) facility at the Tooele Army Depot, Tooele, Utah. This is a prototype for other lethal chemical demilitarization plants expected to be built in the future. 

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