Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a concerning report that states that terrorists may have gotten their hands on some very deadly nerve agents stored away in stockpiles. The reports don’t explain when or how the alleged terrorists might have gotten ahold of the stockpiles but it certainly makes me wish that US borders were still secure
OSHA’s report reads; “Because of recent terrorist events, many workers have expressed concern about the possibility of a terrorist attack involving nerve agents. In 1995, twelve people were killed when the nerve agent sarin was released in the Tokyo subway system. The following frequently asked questions will help workers understand what nerve agents are and how they may affect their health and safety.
What are nerve agents?
Nerve agents are highly toxic chemicals called “organophosphates” that poison the nervous system and disrupt bodily functions which are vital to an individual’s survival. They were originally produced in a search for insecticides, but because of their toxicity, they were evaluated for military use.
What are the different forms of nerve agents and their properties?
Nerve agents, depending on their purity, are clear and colorless or slightly colored liquids and may have no odor or a faint, sweetish smell. They evaporate at various rates and are denser than air, so they accumulate in low areas. Nerve agents include tabun(GA), sarin(GB), soman(GD), and VX.
Why are we concerned about nerve agents as a terrorist’s weapon?
There are large stockpiles of nerve agents which, if obtained by terrorists, could be released using bombs, explosives, spray tanks, or rockets.
How do nerve agents affect people?
Nerve agents are highly toxic and rapidly affect exposed individuals. Nerve agents enter the body primarily through the respiratory tract, although they may be absorbed through the eyes or skin. In the liquid state, nerve agents are hazardous via skin or eye contact and through ingestion. Generally, all nerve agents are highly toxic and fast acting.
When a person is exposed to a nerve agent, the nerve agent, upon entering the body, inhibits the normal actions of acetylcholinesterase; a chemical within the body whose normal function it is to break down the chemical acetylcholine. Acetylcholine causes muscular contraction. What nerve agents do to acetylcholinesterase is inhibit it from breaking down acetylcholine which in turn causes violent muscle spasms.
What are the symptoms of nerve agent poisoning?
When an individual is exposed to low amounts of a nerve agent (as a gas or aerosol) the initial symptoms are a runny nose, contraction of the pupils, deterioration of visual accommodation, headache, slurred speech, nausea, hallucinations, pronounced chest pains, and an increase in the production of saliva. At higher doses, these symptoms are more pronounced. Coughing and breathing problems also begin to occur. The individual then may begin to go into convulsions possibly progressing to coma or death. At even higher doses, an exposed individual would almost immediately go into convulsions and die from suffocation because of the simultaneous shut-down of the nervous and respiratory systems.”
The report goes on to list the different types of nerve agents and what to do if you are exposed. The ominous report recently began circulating on Reddit and 4Chan but the site does not specify when the report was written.
[You can read the entire report by clicking HERE]
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
