Casualty (toxic) Agents
Casualty (toxic) Agents : Produce incapacitation, serious injury, or death, and can be used to incapacitate or kill victims. They are the blister, blood, choking, and nerve agents. Blister agents: Substances that cause blistering of the skin. Exposure is through liquid or vapor contact with any exposed tissue (eyes, skin, lungs). Examples are distilled mustard (HD), nitrogen mustard (HN), lewisite (L), mustard/lewisite (HL), and phenodichloroarsine (PD). Blood agents: Substances that injure a person by interfering with cell respiration (the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood and tissues). Examples are arsine (SA), cyanogens chloride (CK), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and hydrogen cyanide (AC). Choking/lung/pulmonary agents: Substances that cause physical injury to the lungs. Exposure is through inhalation. In extreme cases, membranes swell and lungs become filled with liquid. Death results from lack of oxygen; hence, the victim is "choked". Examples are chlorine (CL), diphosgene (DP), cyanide (KCN), nitrogen oxide (NO), perfluororisobutylene (PHIB), phosgene (CG), red phosphorous (RP), sulfur trioxide-chlorosulfonic acid (FS), Teflon and PHIB, titanium tetrachloride (FM), and zinc oxide (HC). Nerve agents: Substances that interfere with the central nervous system. Exposure is primarily through contact with the liquid (skin and eyes) and secondarily through inhalation of the vapor. Three distinct symptoms associated with nerve agents are: pin-point pupils, an extreme headache, and severe tightness in the chest. See also: G-series and V-series nerve agents
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