What You Should Know About Nerve Gas

Nerve agents, like Sarin, Tabun or VX, are toxic chemicals. You can take steps to protect yourself from nerve gas, but here what you should know about nerve gas, nerve gas symptoms and treatment for nerve gas poisoning:

Basic Nerve Gas Facts:

Many nerve gas agents were first created in the 1930s and ‘40s as pesticides (insect killers). Since then, they have been used by the military and terrorists.
Nerve gas agents are the most toxic, fast-acting chemical weapons. They include VX, Sarin (also known as GB), Soman, and Tabun (also known as GA).
They can be in a liquid or gas form, and most have no smell, color or taste. Nerve gas agents can be breathed in or absorbed through the skin or eyes.
VX is the most toxic nerve gas. It has no smell or taste, but in liquid form, VX is oily and amber colored. It evaporates slowly from a liquid into a gas—about as quickly as motor oil. VX can be heated to create a gas.
Sarin has no color, smell or taste. Sarin quickly evaporates from a liquid into a gas. This means you can breathe in Sarin as a gas even if you don't come in contact with it as a liquid. Terrorists used this nerve gas agent in a subway attack in Japan.
Tabun has no color or taste, but it smells slightly fruity. If heated, liquid Tabun can turn into a gas. Tabun evaporates more slowly than Sarin but more quickly than VX.

How Nerve Gas Works:

Nerve gas agents poison your nervous system which controls your body's movements and breathing. They prevent the proper operation of the chemical that acts as the body's "off switch" for glands and muscles. Without an "off switch," the glands and muscles are constantly being stimulated. They tire and are no longer able to sustain breathing functions.

Nerve Gas Symptoms:

There are medical tests that can tell if you have been exposed to nerve gas, but symptoms can appear within a few seconds or up to 18 hours. Nerve gas symptoms include:

Difficulty breathing, tightness in chest, and respiratory arrest
Nausea, drowsiness, vomiting, and diarrhea
Confusion and seizures
Drooling, runny nose, eye irritation, and tearing
Severe muscle weakness

If you breathe in the gas, nerve gas symptoms appear within seconds or minutes. Symptoms appear within minutes or hours if you come in contact with the liquid.

As a liquid, even a tiny drop of nerve agent can cause sweating and muscle twitching where it touches your skin.

Treating Nerve Gas Poisoning:

For some agents, there are medicines to treat nerve gas poisoning, but they must be taken quickly to be effective. Medical care in a hospital also will be needed to treat nerve gas poisoning.

The most important thing to do is to reduce your exposure to nerve gas. Leave the site of exposure right away and move to higher ground for fresh air. Quickly remove your clothes and jewelry. Clothes exposed to a nerve gas can give off the gas for about 30 minutes.

People with mild or moderate nerve gas poisoning can recover completely if exposed to small amounts of a nerve gas agent. People exposed to large amounts may die.