UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Toxicology

Title: Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction

Keywords: Nerve agents, organophosphates, blistering agents (PubMed Search)

Posted: 7/26/2007 by Fermin Barrueto, MD (Updated: 4/18/2024)
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Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction There are a variety of chemicals utilized as WMD and can be categorized as: nerve agent, blistering agent or incapacitating agent: Nerve Agents: (Sarin, VX) cause a parasympathetic toxidrome due to inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase. Antidote is pralidoxime, benzodiazepines and atropine. Blistering Agents: (Mustard Gas) Must be treated like a severe burn patient causing extreme pain and sloughing of the skin. Incapacitating Agents: (BZ) Causes anticholinergic toxidrome, your whole army starts to hallucinate and develop urinary retention. People armed, hallucinating and needing to pee makes for a highly ineffective military force.