Public Health

Chemical

Nerve agents: In gas, aerosol or liquid form, nerve agents enter the body through inhalation or the skin, and interfere with the nervous system. Sarin, tabun, soman and VX are among the classified nerve agents. Health effects depend on the amount of exposure to a nerve agent.

• Symptoms of acute, low-dose nerve agent exposure include: runny nose, chest tightness, \"pinpoint\" or abnormally constricted pupils, excessive salivation and sweating, abdominal cramps, muscle twitching, visual disturbances, headache, slurred speech, nausea, hallucinations and confusion.
• Symptoms of acute, high-dose nerve agents include: coughing and breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, paralysis, and coma and potentially death from respiratory/nervous system failure.
• These initial symptoms of nerve agent toxicity occur within minutes to hours of the exposure. Fatigue, irritability, nervousness, and memory deficits may persist as long as six weeks after the exposure.
• Those with mild-to-moderate nerve agent exposure usually recover completely.

Vesicants: These kinds of agents cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact. Mustard gas belongs to a class of organic compounds that include sulfur mustard (Yperite) and nitrogen mustard. Lewisite is an arsenic-containing agent in this class. As gases, these agents appear yellow-brown in color and smell like mustard, garlic, or horseradish. In pure form at room temperature, they are thick and almost-odorless liquids.

• Exposure to mustard is usually not fatal.
• Signs and symptoms may not occur for up to 24 hours. These can include: redness and itching of the skin, irritation, pain, and swelling of the eyes, runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness, bloody nose, sinus pain, shortness of breath, cough, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, and decreased formation of blood cells (aplastic anemia) or decreased red or white blood cells and platelets (pancytopenia).
• Exposure to mustard liquid is more likely to produce significant burns and scarring than is exposure to mustard vapor. Extensive breathing in of the vapors can cause chronic respiratory disease or repeated respiratory infections.

Biological

A biological attack, or bioterrorism, is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops. Anthrax is a common agent to be used in such an attack.

• Symptoms depend on the exposure pathway and can appear between 1 day and 2 months after the exposure. These can include: swelling, fever and chills, blistering, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and headache.
• If left untreated, anthrax infections have the potential to spread throughout the body and cause severe illness or death.