The average person does not think about nerve agents, how it affects people and the environment they live in. To be quite honest, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that people choose not to think about this type of agent or any agent for that matter simply because they are fully aware of the fact that the consequences of encountering this substance are deadly and no matter which way you look at it the outcome will almost never be a positive one. There’s also a major concern about nerve agents especially when it comes to terrorist’s using them as Weapons of Mass Destruction. There’s a large supply of nerve agents and if for some reason they fell into the wrong hands for example into a terrorist’s hands then this agent could be used as a bomb, explosive, rocket or spray tank. My plan for this paper is to teach and explain to others how to identify what the specific signs and symptoms of nerve agent exposure actually are.
A nerve agent is made up of a group of chemicals which are highly toxic and they are called “organophosphates”. These organophosphates are very poisonous in terms of how it affects the nervous system (FM 4-02.285, 2007). They interrupt the body’s normal functions which just so happens to be something that is crucial to a human’s survival. It affects the nervous system by controlling the body functions by using chemicals that act as instructions to nerves, the glands and the muscles. Exposure to nerve agents is definitely something that would get in the way of how the nervous system actually works and would prevent it from working properly. Nerve agents first came into existence because researchers were on a hunt to find insecticides, but due to the very high levels of toxicity, they ended up being looked at for mil...
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...usand sheep whose death was connected to the United States Army’s chemical, biological warfare program at Dugway Proving ground which is located in Utah (FM 4-02.285, 2007). The notion was that the sheep had been used for testing of chemical weapons and later on the Army admitted to nerve agents killing the sheep at Skull Valley.
Works Cited
Fact Sheets, an Emergency Response Card, Medical Management Guidelines.
FM 4-02.285, Multiservice Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for Treatment of Chemical Agent Casualties and Conventional Military Chemical Injuries (2007, CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response, (2003, April 3). This page includes links September 18), Headquarters, Department of the Army
United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Nerve Agent Guide. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/guides/nerve.html
3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of
" I agree with Detering, as animals have no choice about going to war. On the way back to the trucks that would take them back to the barracks, Paul Baumer's company are hit again by heavy shelling and they have to take cover in a military graveyard. The shells blow huge holes in the graveyard and create large holes in the ground revealing the coffins; Paul uses a coffin to take cover as the author describes here.... ... middle of paper ... ...
My research paper is on Dugway Proving Ground incident of 1969. The incident actually took place in March of 1968. What happened in 1969 was that President Nixon reaffirmed the “no first use, retaliate in kind” which became a national policy for the employment of chemical weapons. (Mauroni, Al, p. 33) The incident involved the killing of 6,000 sheep according to The Salt Lake Tribune. A deadly nerve agent known as VX had drifted off the reservation contaminating the sheep feeding area. The Army conducted investigations to show that they had nothing to do with the death of those sheep. At the end of the investigation it showed that they were not responsible for the incident. I am going to talk about the history of Dugway Proving Ground, and what cause the sheep to die. The people are blame the government for the death of the sheep, and the government is blaming ranchers. The government said the sheep died from the pesticides they sprayed to protect their crops.
The Special Forces have always been an elite unit that the American people, all military members, and the rest of the world could view as the best of the best. Building this reputation is just like in any other unit, there are support elements specifically designed to be able to assist the Special Forces to accomplish any mission, impeccably by land, sea, or air. Special Forces Groups contain two chemical detachments; the Chemical Decontamination Detachment and the Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment. The mission of the Special Operations Force Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (SOF CBRN) forces is to provide Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance and surveillance support for Special Operating Forces (SOF) in support of strategic, operational, and tactical objectives in all environments (Army, 2007).
"Chemical Warfare Agents - Resources on the health effects from chemical weapons, emergency response & treatment, counterterrorism, and emergency preparedness.au.af." Specialized Information Services - Reliable information on toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
This is an overview of the Chemical Defense Training Facility (CDTF) which is located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It is a compilation of information from multiple sources found on the World Wide Web, printed materials, audio/visual media, and a personal interview. The covered topics will be: The history of the CDTF to include its beginning at Fort McClellan, the mission of the CDTF at Fort Leonard Wood, the current leadership, the capability of its facilities, and the training conducted there. It emphasizes the need for a facility where members of all the services of the Department of Defense (DOD), some civilian agency personnel, and foreign entities can receive realistic training. The common theme is the safety with which training has been, and continues to be conducted within its facilities.
The drugs for sedation that contain atropine most likely contain Scopolamine as well. Atropine is the most vital drug in treating nerve agent poisoning due to its ability to fight the effect of the nerve agent in airways. Atropine relieves the narrowness of the airways caused by nerve agent poisoning lowering the risk of choking to death. There are many symptoms and signs associated with the intoxication of Atropine. Some of the signs and symptoms are hallucinations, dryness of the mouth, hot flushed dry skin, dilated nonreactive pupils, depression, circulatory collapse, blood pressure decline, muscular incoordination, blurry vision, and restlessness.
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Chemical warfare. New York [etc.] :. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.. Heller, C. E. (1985).
6) Prusaczyk W. K. & Goldberg G. M. (2002). Organization, psychological, and training aspects of special operations forces. Medical aspects of harsh environments (Vol. 2) (pp. 1166-1193). Fort Sam Houston, TX.
Within the United States Army lie the capabilities of the United States Army Chemical Corps. The Chemical Corps maintains the trained soldiers and equipment needed to detect and protect against the multitude of CBRN threats that present themselves along the lines of the modern day battlefield. One of these capabilities is the Biological Integrated Detection System; more commonly referred to as BIDS. Within the doctrine and training of the United States Army and the military as a whole, BIDS refers to a specific unit, system, and capability employed by a subset of particularly trained and focused soldiers that carry the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 74D, or Chemical Operations Specialist. Though this moniker seems to focus singularly on the chemical aspect, it should be noted that these soldiers are highly trained in all aspects of the CBRN disciplines, more specifically the biological realm.
Poison gas was perhaps the most feared weapon out of all. Created to overcome the long stalemate style of trench warfare, its purpose was to draw out soldiers hiding in the trenches. One side would throw the poison gas into the enemy trenches and they would either wait for their enemy to come out into open fire or perish in the trenches. The first poison gas used in battle was chlorine at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 by the Germans. Shortly after, followed the phosgene. The effects of these gases were ghastly. Chlorine was the most deadly as "within seconds of inhaling its vapor, it destroys the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks" (Duffy). Phosgene had similar effects, except the fact that the effects started kicking in after 48 hours of inhalation. In September 1917, the Germans introduced the mustard gas or Yperite which was contained in artillery shells against the Russians at Riga. Those exposed t...
Mustard gas is a poison gas best known for being used in World War I against rival countries. The poison gas was given its name because of the rotten mustard and onion odor it had. In the article “The Five Most Deadly Chemical Weapons of war” by Dina Esfandiary the author discusses some of the most dangerous gases used in wars. The author talked about the horrible effects of mustard gas in the First World War. Mustard gas targets mostly the eyes, skin and respiratory system. The side effects of the gas might start out slow but worsen as time go on. When the skin of the body comes in contact with the gas it will get red and hurt for a couple hours. As results of skin contact large blisters might start to appear. Exposed of the gas to the eyes
I have organized this paper into five distinct sections; mission, task organization, capabilities, limitations, and finally the conclusion. After the reading and comprehension of this paper, you should have gained a basic understanding of the Special Forces (SF) Chemical Reconnaissance Detachments (CRD). The following paper is mixed with Unclassified (UCI) and For Official Use Only (FOUO) information. FOUO is annotated at the beginning of all For Official Use Only information, the rest of the paper is UCI. If you wish to share this information paper with others, please at a minimum; confirm identity of the person prior to providing (FM 380-5, 2000). For further handling instructions please refer to FM 380-5, or contact me, I will gladly answer all questions.
Cashman, J. (2000). Emergency Response to Chemical and Biological Agents. Boca Raton, FL. Lewis Publishers.
...very painfully (obviously). Cyanide acts quickly, but only large amounts are deadly. Cyanide poisoning can be treated with inhaled amyl nitrate, intravenous sodium nitrite, and sodium thiosulfate. Then there is the most commonly known nerve agent, Sarin. Sarin is clear, colorless, tasteless, and lastly odorless. It's a highly unstable chemical and is for the most part an inhalational hazard. The effects of Sarin poisoning include having a runny nose, tightness in the chest, breathing difficulty, and nausea and vomiting, reflex bowel movement and urination, unintentional muscle movements, intense migraines, confusion, and tiredness. If untreated, victims stop breathing and die. Antidotes for Sarin when affected are atropine and pralidoxmine. Eyes and skin should be flushed thoroughly if exposed. And lastly, there is the most commonly known choking agent, chlorine.