Bioterrorism: 10 facts about sarin gas

As the civil war in Syria shows no signs of de-escalating, worrisome evidence points towards the deployment of chemical warfare with banned agents recently, resulting in almost a hundred deaths with more than a quarter of them children. Chlorine and Sarin gas are primarily being implicated. Here are ten facts to know about Sarin gas and how it works. 1. Historically, Sarin was used for bioterrorism by members of Aum Shinrikyo, a radical religious cult group in Japan, in 1994 and 1995 that collectively poisoned 6500 people on the subway. In 1998, Saddam Hussein used it against Iranians and Kurdish people. The Syrian government was implicated in an attack on civilians in 2013 that killed 1400 people. 2. Sarin is a clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid that transforms into gas and spreads insidiously over long distances to cause damage to the nervous system (thus the name nerve gas). It was accidentally discovered by Germans as a pesticide that seriously poisoned the four scientists who developed it. It is also known as GB. 3. Sarin gas can get absorbed into the body from breathing the air and through the skin and eyes. Liquid Sarin can mix easily with drinking water. Food can get contaminated with Sarin. Occasionally it can linger in the clothes of those exposed and spread easily. The fact that Sarin can cause damage in so many different ways adds to its lethality. 4. Sarin is heavier than air and sinks to lower levels over the ground. Children are more susceptible t...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions Emergency Source Type: blogs