Chemical Warfare
The agents most commonly used in biological warfare are nerve gas and mustard gas.
Nerve gas
These are highly poisonous chemicals which are colorless and odorless, and hence difficult to detect when sprayed from planes, or dropped contained in bombs or shells. The liquid quickly penetrates clothes and gets absorbed through intact skin. Unabsorbed liquid quickly evaporates to form a gas which is also very dangerous. They can produce severe illness and death in even low concentrations.
Feature of nerve gas poisoning are as follows.
- Abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
- Difficulty in vision due to marked constriction of the pupils.
- Tightness in the chest and difficulty in breathing.
- Watery discharge from the nose.
First aid
- Remove outer clothes of the victim and leave them outside the house in a plastic bag.
- Blot the droplets off the skin with handkerchief and discard it. Do not bur the skin with the handkerchief.
- Wash the whole body thoroughly with running water and soap.
- Ask him to dry and dress in clean clothes.
- Give artificial respiration if needed.
- Atropine is the only effective antidote for nerve gas poisoning.
