Nerve Agents

The nerve agents are a group of particularly toxic chemical warfare agents. They were developed just before and during World War II and are related chemically to the organophosphorus insecticides.

The principle agents in this group are:

The "G" agents tend to be somewhat volatile and break down over time, whereas the effectiveness of "V" agents is generally longer lasting. "G" agents may be thickened with various substances in order to increase their persistence, enabling a greater amount of the toxic agent to penetrate intact skin.

At room temperature “G” agents are comparatively volatile liquids and therefore non-persistent. VX is a relatively non-volatile liquid and therefore persistent. It presents little vapor hazard to people exposed to it.

In their pure, unadulterated state nerve agents are colorless and mobile liquids. In an impure state nerve agents may be encountered as yellowish to brown liquids. Some nerve agents have a faint fruity odor.

GB and VX doses which are potentially life-threatening may be only slightly larger than those producing the least effects. Death usually occurs within 15 minutes after absorption of a fatal VX dosage.

Although only about half as toxic as GB by inhalation, GA in low concentrations is more irritating to the eyes than GB. Symptoms appear much more slowly from a skin dosage than from a respiratory dosage. Skin absorption sufficient to cause death may occur in 1 to 2 minutes, death may be delayed for 1 to 2 hours. Respiratory lethal dosages kill in 1 to 10 minutes, and liquid in the eye kills almost as rapidly.