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What Are Chemical Warfare Agents?

Chemical warfare agents are chemical materials that are used to kill or injure people who are exposed to them. A chemical warfare agent can be a gas, liquid or solid. There are several different categories of chemical warfare agents, each of which causes different symptoms. The effects of each can vary based on the amount and length of exposure. The four major types are nerve agents, blister agents, blood agents and pulmonary agents.

  1. Nerve Agents

    • Nerve agents attack the nerve functions of the body. Nerve agents are generally used in a gaseous state for chemical attacks. Even a small exposure can cause some symptoms to appear. The effects occur almost immediately upon exposure and include twitching, paralysis and respiratory difficulty or failure. Tabun, Sarin, Soman and VX gases are nerve agents. Death occurs within minutes of a large exposure for the more toxic nerve agents such as Sarin. The drugs atropine or pralidoxime are used as antidotes for nerve agents.

    Blister Agents

    • The two major categories of blister agents include vesicants and mustard agents. These agents affect the skin and other soft tissues such as the eyes, respiratory system and mucous membranes. Symptoms of vesicants, typically blisters, will appear quickly. Symptoms from mustard agents may appear more slowly but generally within 4 to 12 hours. Symptoms include throat, eye and skin irritation, coughing and pain while breathing.

    Blood Agents

    • Blood agents are chemicals of the cyano group, typically cyanogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide. They are generally used in a gaseous form that is very lethal but loses concentration very quickly. Onset of symptoms occurs rapidly and include dizziness, convulsions and cardiorespiratory failure. Many victims survive, however, due to the rapid dispersion of the gas and viable treatment options.

    Pulmonary Agents

    • Pulmonary agents, also called choking agents, include chlorine and phosgene. They are both liquids that are dispersed in gas form. The gases affect the respiratory system and the heart. The reaction time for symptoms to appear varies depending on the level of exposure. In extreme exposure, death can occur within hours. There are no direct antidotes for pulmonary agents, although management of symptoms is accomplished with steroids and other drugs to help with breathing.

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