Nerve Agents - Binary and Components

Nerve Agents are hazardous through inhalation, skin and eye exposure, ingestion, and abraded skin (e.g., breaks in the skin or penetration of skin by debris). 

Are the same as the non-Binary Nerve Agents (see Class Indices COl through C04). Components, byproducts, or solvents may have toxic properties and present additional hazards. These materials may also impact the rate that the Binary Nerve Agents volatilize or penetrate the skin. 

The rate of detoxification of nerve agents by the body is very low and exposures are essentially cumulative. 

Effects from vapor exposure begin to appear 30 seconds to 2 minutes after exposure. 

There is almost always a latent period with no visible effects between the time of exposure and the onset of symptoms. Effects from liquid exposure begin to appear from several minutes up to 18 hours after exposure. Onset of symptoms from exposure to large amounts of liquid agent may appear as rapidly as 1 minute after exposure. Generally, the more rapid the onset of symptoms, the larger the amount of agent involved in the exposure. 

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The components, by-products of the reaction or solvents used to facilitate mixing the components may have their own toxic properties and could present additional hazards. They may also change the rate that the binary nerve agent volatilizes or penetrates the skin. Residual components may react with common materials, such as alcohols, to produce other nerve agents. For data on binary components, see the Component Section (C01-C) following information on the individual agents. 

Uhe stockpile (the subject of the Amy s Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program) consists of (1) bulk containers of nerve and blister agents and (2) munitions, including rockets, mines, bombs, projectiles, and spray tanks, loaded with nerve or blister agents. Buried chemical warfare materiel, recovered chemical warfare materiel, binary weapons (in which two nonlethal components are mixed after firing to yield a lethal nerve agent), former production facilities, and miscellaneous chemical warfare materiel are not included in the stockpile. The disposition of these five classes of materials is the subject of a separate Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Pro-... 

Nerve Agents may be volatilized during a fire or be spread by efforts to extinguish the fire. Agents may be decomposed by heat to produce other toxic and/or corrosive gases. If the binary form of the agents is released, flammable solvents used to facilitate mixing of the binary components may be present and pose an additional fire hazard. 

Binary Nerve Agents may be either nonpersistent or persistent. Evaporation rates, decomposition rates, and permeation rates in porous material of the crude Nerve Agents may be different from the standard "G" series, "V" series, or "GV" series agents because of the presence of unreacted components and reaction byproducts. 

Nerve Agent Liquid Can be detected by M8 and M9 papers. Component Liquid/Vapor Currently there is no field system employed by the U.S. Military that is designed to detect Binary Nerve Agent Components. 

Binary Components and the resultant Nerve Agents pose both a severe respiratory and severe contact hazard. Wear appropriate fully encapsulating protective gear with positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Structural firefighters protective clothing is recommended for fire situations only it is not effective in spill or release events. 

CH3P(0)F2 Nerve Agents and as a component in the Binary Nerve Agent GB2. Agents. IP —... 

Agent Index A260 Mixed with Dimethyl-polysulfides Dual Use Synthesis of various "V" series Nerve Agents and as a component in Binary Nerve Agent VX2. IP 10.4 eV... 

So-called "binary" weapons have been developed. The idea behind these is that two relatively non-toxic chemicals are placed in separate compartments in a shell. On firing these mix — perhaps by rupture of a bursting disk — and then are further mixed by the rotation of the shell in flight, so that the actual nerve agent is formed after the shell has been fired. For example, with Sarin (see above) methylphosphonic difluoride (CHgPOF ) and a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and isopropylamine (this catalyses the reaction) could be the two components. However, methylphosphonic difluoride is far from being non-toxic and the main advantage, in fact, seems to be that the separate components are easier to store and transport than Sarin itself. 

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