CBRN, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Flashcards
What state can chemical agents be in?
Liquid
Gas
Solid
What are the two ways to define the period of time a chemical hazard will remain active?
Persistent
Non-persistent
What are the 2 classifications of chemical agents?
Toxic and non-toxic
What are the 4 Toxic chemical agents?
Nerve agents - G & V
Choking agents - CG & CL
Blood agents - AC & CK
Blister agents - CX, H & L
What are the 2 non-toxic chemical agents?
Incapacitating agents - LSD & BZ
Riot control agents - CS, CN & DM
What are some common nerve agents?
GA - Tabun
GB - Sarin
GD - Soman
V series - Most common VX
Where does the NATO designation GA, GB etc come from?
They were first developed in Germany (G) and the timeline of their development A, B, C etc. The most common/easy to produce variants are generally listed listed.
Where does the NATO designation VX come from?
The original V series nerve agent was developed in Britain as a pesticide under the name Amiton in 1954. This was quickly withdrawn as it was too toxic. The British Armed Forces continued its development and named it Venomous Agent. This research was traded with the US for nuclear research which began large scale production of the VX agent.
How do nerve agents enter and act upon the body?
They are inhaled, ingested or absorbed into to body. They disrupt the signals from your nervous system to your muscles causing respiratory failure, depression of the nervous system and airway obstruction from bronchial and salivary secretions.
What are some characteristics of nerve agents?
Rapid acting, death within minutes Percutaneous, penetrate skin/clothing Cumulative Persistent as liquid Disseminated as liquid or vapour Colourless/odourless, hard to detect with senses
What are common initial nerve agent symptoms?
Unexplained runny nose and increased saliva Chest tightness Pinpointing of pupils (MIOSIS) Dimness of vision, difficult to focus Frontal headache
What is used for nerve agent treatment?
NAPS - Nerve agent pre-treatment set
Combo pen - 3 pens with 3 agents mixed per pen (Atropine, Obidoxime, Diazepam)
If the combo pen is administered without a nerve agent in the body you will suffer Atropine poisoning. What are the symptoms? These will be the opposite of the nerve agent symptoms.
Rapid pulse rate (over 100 bpm)
Very dry mouth and throat
Hot dry skin
Enlarged pupils
You are issued 3 ComboPens if there is a risk of nerve agent attack. What is the allowable dose?
1 pen every 10mins as signs and symptoms exist to a maximum of 3 auto-injectors.
What is the defensive action against a nerve agent?
Conduct masking drill
Inject auto-injector
Conduct personal decontamination
How do choking agents work?
Chemicals that attack lung tissue causing fluid build up thus dry land drowning. The agents become corrosive when contacting the skin and eyes causing burn and blurred vision.
What are some common choking agents?
Phosgene CG
Chlorine CL
Diphosgene DP
What are some choking agent symptoms?
- Short Term Irritation to the eyes Shortness of breath, coughing, choking Nausea and vomiting - Long Term Rapid shallow breathing Cyanosis (blue lips and skin) Painful cough Frothy yellow sputum Death up to 3-48 hours after exposure