Chemical, Biological, Radiological Warfare Flashcards
Define: Chemical Warfare
The employment of chemical agents that are intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate personnel due to their physiological effect.
Define: Nerve Agents
Liquid casualty agents that disrupt nerve impulses to the body while damaging body functions rather than tissue. Examples are Sarin (GB), Tabun (GA), SOMAN (GD), and VX.
Define: Blister Agents
Liquid or solid casualty agents that can cause inflammation, blisters, and general destruction of tissues which often results in temporary blindness and/or death. Examples are Distilled mustard (HD), Lewisite (L), Phosgene Oxime (CX), and Levinstein Mustard (HL).
Define: Blood Agents
Gaseous casualty agents that attack the enzymes carrying oxygen in the blood stream.
Rapid breathing or choking may occur due to lack of oxygen in the blood. Examples are Hydrogen Cyanide (AC), Cyanogen Chloride (CK), and Arsine (SA).
Define: Choking Agents
Gaseous or liquid casualty agents with initial symptoms that include; tears, dry throat, nausea, vomiting, and headache. The lungs can become filled with fluid, making the victim feel as if they are drowning, causing breathing to become rapid and shallow. Examples are Phosgene (CG) and Diphosgene.
M9 Chemical Agent Detector Paper:
Detects the presence of liquid chemical agents by turning a red or reddish color, it does not detect chemical agent vapors.
Atropine/2-PAM-chloride Auto Injector:
Used as specific therapy for nerve agent casualties, they are issued for intramuscular injection, self-aid or first aid.
Biological Warfare:
The use of agents to cause disease, sickness, or death to reduce the effectiveness of opposing combatant forces is. The basic division in biological agents is between pathogens and toxins.
Define: Pathogens
The pathogens that could be used as biological agents include bacteria, rickettsia, viruses, fungi, protozoa and prions.
Define: Toxins
The categorization of toxins is based on the organisms (source) that produce them and the physiological affects the toxins cause in humans.
- The major groupings by source are mycotoxins (which are from fungi), bacterial toxins, algal toxins, animal venoms and plant toxins.
- The primary groups based on physiological effects are neurotoxins, cytotoxins, enterotoxins and dermatoxins.
Individual Protective Equipment (IPE):
The decision to employ IPE is the most important decision in the risk management of chemical agent environments. This is due to extended wearing of various items of IPE will result in varying degrees of degradation to individual performance.
IPE Components:
- Protective mask MCU-2P with components (C-2 canister filter)
- Advanced chemical protective garment (ACPG)
- Chemical protective gloves and liners
- Chemical protective overboots and laces
- Skin decontamination kit
Radiological Warfare:
The deliberate use of radiological weapons to produce widespread injury and death of all life.
Types of Nuclear Explosions:
- High altitude air burst occurs at altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet, with ionosphere disruptions and EMP.
- Air burst where fireball does not reach the surface. The vacuum created collects debris caused by the severe blast damage resulting in radiation fallout.
- Surface Burst has the worst fallout due to the fireball touching the surface which results in massive radioactive fallout.
- Shallow underwater burst has a small fireball and blast wave however; it causes large waves and water contamination.
- Deep underwater burst is similar to the shallow underwater burst but with less visual effect and yields greater contaminated water.
Shipboard shielding stations are categorized as either ready or deep-shelter stations, explain each:
- Ready-shelter stations are just inside the weather envelope, with access to deep shelter. They provide minimum shielding from nuclear radiation and allow the crew to remain close to battle stations.
- Deep-shelter stations are low in the ship and near the centerline. They provide maximum shielding from nuclear radiation, often requiring personnel to be far removed from battle stations.
