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Chemical Threats
Chemical agents are typically man-made products manufactured through the use of industrial chemical processes. International terrorists can either acquire chemical weapons by receiving, purchasing or stealing them from over a dozen countries that already possess chemical weapons technology, or stockpile or manufacture the agent themselves. These agents can be produced quietly and inexpensively and stored indefinitely. What's more, the ingredients can often be purchased on the open market or online from a variety of commercial sources and the manufacturing processes are familiar to anyone with chemical engineering experience.
Toxic industrial chemicals (TIC) may be employed against specific pinpointed targets or over large areas and may involve single or multiple agents. Bear in mind, chemical agents need not be lethal to be dangerous. Even the threatened use of these materials, or hoaxes, can disrupt normal routines and cause widespread confusion. This, in turn, can cause accidents and stress related illnesses.
Summary of chemical agents
Spray delivery is the most effective method for dispersing chemical agents but industrial accidents, explosions, and spills can also release them into the atmosphere. Few physical indicators of chemical incidents may be evident before people begin to exhibit symptoms. They are often odorless and invisible.
There are four primary types of chemical agents:
- Blister Agents - also known as vesicants, are chemicals that blister or burn the skin and any other part of the body they contact including internal passages and organs.
Examples: Mustard Gas, Lewsite
- Blood Agents - interfere with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen and result in asphyxiation.
Examples: Hydrogen Cyanide, Cyanogen Chloride
- Choking Agents - affect the lungs and cause pulmonary edema, or swelling, resulting in asphyxiation.
Examples: Chlorine, Phosgene, Diphosgene
- Nerve Agents - affect the transmission of nerve impulses in the nervous system. All are extremely toxic, even in very small concentrations.
Examples: Sarin, Soman, Tabun, V-Agents (VX)
The effects of chemical agents on humans usually appear shortly after exposure, within minutes to hours. Persistent agents, such as mustard gas and the nerve agent VX, evaporate slowly. They remain on buildings and equipment for days, weeks or even months, depending on the weather, and require rigorous decontamination procedures after the initial threat has passed.
Nonpersistant agents, such as phosgene, cyanide and G series nerve agents, evaporate quickly and are not expected to last more than several hours. Military grade activated carbon filters offer the best available protection from chemical gases and vapors.
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