injuries poisoning
Overview of Chemical Warfare Agents
Introduction
Chemical-warfare (CW) agents are chemical mass-casualty weapons (MCWs) developed by governments for wartime use and include Toxic agents (intended to cause serious injury or death) Incapacitating agents (intended to cause only temporary, non–life-threatening effects) Although incapacitating agents are sometimes mistakenly referred to as nonlethal, in high doses, these agents can cause serious injury or death. Toxic industrial chemicals are chemicals produced for industrial uses that are capable of causing mass casualties. Some chemicals (eg, chlorine, phosgene, cyanide compounds) have both industrial and CW uses and are called dual-use agents. A useful online and downloadable resource for incidents involving chemical agents is Chemical Hazard Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM). (See also Overview of Incidents Involving Mass-Casualty Weapons .) 