Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Iraq and nerve gases
Summary: Atropine and 2-Pam Chloride
Message-ID: <1990Aug12.214453.2592@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 12 Aug 90 21:44:53 GMT
References: <1990Aug8.030433.25759@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: University of Colorado, boulder
Lines: 56
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)




  Iraq currently uses (so far as I have been able to tell) the first generation
of nerve gases (the ones invented by the Germans as an offshoot of their
pesticide industry in the 1930's.)  These are: Sarin, Tabun, and Soman.  All
are organophosphate cholinesteraise inhibitors, which means that they kill 
by causing the nerves to tighten up every muscle in the human body as far
as they can.  Since the heart is a muscle, this means that it will stop beating.

  Atropine is used as a first step (for those of you who don't allready know)
antitdote.  It is a very effective muscle relaxant; after taking it, you feel
like you're not there.  It doesn't reverse the effects of the nerve gas, though,any more than Contac actually CURES colds -- they both just alleviate the
symptoms.
  2-Pam Chloride is injected after the atropine.  It protects the nerve endings
and reverses the effects of mild nerve gas poisoning.


  Apparently, multiple injections of atropine CAN be made, but since the stuff
is quite lethal in strong enough doses, it's not exactly safe.  There was a
soldier at the Rocky Mountain arsenal in Denver, where lots of nerve gas is
stored, who had a bit of an accident a number of years ago.
  He was apparently inspecting the nerve agent drums (which I understand to be
very much like ordinary 55-gallon drums, except that they have a corrosive-
resistant inner lining) when he brushed against one of the drums.  Apparently,
when this pallet of drums had been moved into the storage bunker on a forklift,
the drum in question had been scraped against the cement wall and creased.  The
crease in the metal drum had rusted, and a small hole had formed in the drum.
  This soldier noticed a drop of some liquid on his arm after brushing against
the drum - some of the nerve agent (whatever it was.)  It began to take effect,
so he used his injector set, which was not enough.  He crawled to some kind of
storage building, where he used several more sets of injectors.  He lived,
even though he had used (I'm not sure of the number, but I remember it being
something more than five) several sets of injectors; both atropine and 2-Pam
chloride.

  Mustard gas (which the Iraquis also have in quantity), has no antidote.  It
is bis (2-chlorethyl) sulfide:

             Cl-CH2-CH2-S-CH2-CH2-Cl

  It causes horrible blisters by alkylating proteins.  Charring of lung tissue
is the usual result of inhaling the stuff.  Skin blisters also appear, which
makes wearing the full NBC suit, rather than just the mask advisable.  
Fortunately, US NBC suits are more comfortable than Soviet models - ours are
actually wearable (to a minimal extent) in the hot environment of Saudi
Arabia.



  
  --don't like snow, miss Deirdre, and wish I was still in Santa Cruz.