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THE SCIENCE OF CHEMICAL WARFARE
The Syrian government is accused of the worst chemical attack the world has seen in decades, allegedly killing over 1,400 people with sarin gas, just like a nuclear bomb, a chemical weapon is a weapon of mass destruction. Below explains why such warfare is so reviled.
SARIN
People allegedly killed by a sarin attack in rebel-held areas of Syria last month. Hundreds of suffocating, twitching victims flooded into hospitals after the attack. Others were later found dead in their homes.
IS A: Nerve agent,which attacks the body's nervous system. It has no smell, colour or taste, evaporates when exposed to the air, and can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Other nerve agents include tabun, VX and some insecticides.
INVENTED BY: Germans during the 1930s Nazi regime, originally as a pesticide,
ATTACK MODE: Blocks the "switch-off" signal for muscles and glands, causing them to convulse and twitch uncontrollably.
HOW DEADLY: It quickly causes difficulty in breathing, nausea and drooling, followed by loss of bodily functions, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis and death.
IN HISTORY: The Aum Shinrikyo's supreme truth cult killed 13 and injured 6,000 others when it unleashed sarin on the Tokyo subway in 1995. Saddam Hussein's sarin attacks killed 5,000 Kurdish villagers and injured 65,000 in 1988.
HYDROGEN CYANIDE
IS A: Blood agent, a toxic chemical agent that affects the body by being absorbed into the blood. A colourless gas that smells slightly of almonds, it can be breathed in or ingested. Other blood agents include cyanide and arsenic compounds.
INVENTED BY; Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the 1700s.
ATTACK MODE: Inhibits the ability of blood cells to utilise and transfer oxygen, causing the body to suffocate.
HOW DEADLY: Can kill within minutes.
IN HISTORY: Hydrogen cyanide, under the name Zyklon B, was used as a genocidal agent by the Germans in World War II. It was used to kill hundreds of thousands of the six million Jews slain during the Nazi Holocaust.
MUSTARD GAS
IS A: Blister agent, which causes severe burns. This oily substance does its damage if breathed in or if it comes into contact with skin. It can stay in the environment for days. Another blister agent is lewicite.
INVENTED BY: Possibly French scientist Cesar-Mansuete Despretz in the 1800s.
ATTACK MODE: It is fat soluble and hence easily able to permeate the skin, where it causes cells to die.
HOW DEADLY: Causes severe pain in the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Blister agents are named for the ability to cause large and often life-threatening skin blisters which resemble severe burns, as well as blindness and respiratory system damage.
IN HISTORY: First tested in combat in 1917 by Germany, and used in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
CHLORINE GAS
IS A: Choking agent, with an extremely irritating odour. It makes breathing difficult. Other choking agents include phosgene and diphosgene.
INVENTED BY: Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the 1700s.
ATTACK MODE: Irritates the nose, throat and lungs. When inhaled, it causes the lung's air sacs to secrete a constant flow of fluid.
HOW DEADLY: The build-up of fluid essentially drowns the victim.
IN HISTORY: Among the first chemical agent produced in large quantities. It was used extensively in World War I. Because it sinks into and fills depressions, it was well-suited to trench warfare, and its successful use on the battlefield led to research and development programmes to create even more toxic and effective chemical weapons.
OTHER CHEMICAL AGENTS:
• Tear gas is a riot control agent that irritates the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, and can be fatal in concentrated doses.
• LSD, BZ and PCP are incapacitants which cause psychotic disorders.
• Agent Orange is a defoliant which destroys vegetative cover and crops, and can cause nerve damage.
• Like most of the world, US has pledged not to use chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
SOURCE: ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE REGISTRY.
The Syrian government is accused of the worst chemical attack the world has seen in decades, allegedly killing over 1,400 people with sarin gas, just like a nuclear bomb, a chemical weapon is a weapon of mass destruction. Below explains why such warfare is so reviled.
SARIN
People allegedly killed by a sarin attack in rebel-held areas of Syria last month. Hundreds of suffocating, twitching victims flooded into hospitals after the attack. Others were later found dead in their homes.
IS A: Nerve agent,which attacks the body's nervous system. It has no smell, colour or taste, evaporates when exposed to the air, and can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Other nerve agents include tabun, VX and some insecticides.
INVENTED BY: Germans during the 1930s Nazi regime, originally as a pesticide,
ATTACK MODE: Blocks the "switch-off" signal for muscles and glands, causing them to convulse and twitch uncontrollably.
HOW DEADLY: It quickly causes difficulty in breathing, nausea and drooling, followed by loss of bodily functions, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis and death.
IN HISTORY: The Aum Shinrikyo's supreme truth cult killed 13 and injured 6,000 others when it unleashed sarin on the Tokyo subway in 1995. Saddam Hussein's sarin attacks killed 5,000 Kurdish villagers and injured 65,000 in 1988.
HYDROGEN CYANIDE
IS A: Blood agent, a toxic chemical agent that affects the body by being absorbed into the blood. A colourless gas that smells slightly of almonds, it can be breathed in or ingested. Other blood agents include cyanide and arsenic compounds.
INVENTED BY; Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the 1700s.
ATTACK MODE: Inhibits the ability of blood cells to utilise and transfer oxygen, causing the body to suffocate.
HOW DEADLY: Can kill within minutes.
IN HISTORY: Hydrogen cyanide, under the name Zyklon B, was used as a genocidal agent by the Germans in World War II. It was used to kill hundreds of thousands of the six million Jews slain during the Nazi Holocaust.
MUSTARD GAS
IS A: Blister agent, which causes severe burns. This oily substance does its damage if breathed in or if it comes into contact with skin. It can stay in the environment for days. Another blister agent is lewicite.
INVENTED BY: Possibly French scientist Cesar-Mansuete Despretz in the 1800s.
ATTACK MODE: It is fat soluble and hence easily able to permeate the skin, where it causes cells to die.
HOW DEADLY: Causes severe pain in the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Blister agents are named for the ability to cause large and often life-threatening skin blisters which resemble severe burns, as well as blindness and respiratory system damage.
IN HISTORY: First tested in combat in 1917 by Germany, and used in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
CHLORINE GAS
IS A: Choking agent, with an extremely irritating odour. It makes breathing difficult. Other choking agents include phosgene and diphosgene.
INVENTED BY: Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the 1700s.
ATTACK MODE: Irritates the nose, throat and lungs. When inhaled, it causes the lung's air sacs to secrete a constant flow of fluid.
HOW DEADLY: The build-up of fluid essentially drowns the victim.
IN HISTORY: Among the first chemical agent produced in large quantities. It was used extensively in World War I. Because it sinks into and fills depressions, it was well-suited to trench warfare, and its successful use on the battlefield led to research and development programmes to create even more toxic and effective chemical weapons.
OTHER CHEMICAL AGENTS:
• Tear gas is a riot control agent that irritates the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, and can be fatal in concentrated doses.
• LSD, BZ and PCP are incapacitants which cause psychotic disorders.
• Agent Orange is a defoliant which destroys vegetative cover and crops, and can cause nerve damage.
• Like most of the world, US has pledged not to use chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
SOURCE: ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE REGISTRY.
