injuries poisoning
Nerve Chemical Warfare Agents
Introduction
Nerve agents are Overview of Chemical-Warfare Agents that act directly at nerve synapses, typically increasing the activity of acetylcholine. Other chemical agents were used in combat before World War II and are sometimes called first-generation chemical agents. Subsequent-generation chemical agents include 3 types of nerve agents: G-series agents (2nd-generation) V-series agents (3rd-generation) A-series agents (4th-generation) G-series agents, or G agents, include GA (tabun), GB (sarin), GD (soman), and GF (cyclosarin), which were developed by Nazi Germany before and during World War II. At ambient temperatures, they are watery liquids with high volatility that pose both skin-contact and inhalational hazards. V-series agents include VX; these compounds were synthesized after World War II. They are persistent liquids with the consistency of motor oil. They evaporate very slowly, and the main hazard is from contact with liquid. They are also much more potent than the G-series agents. A-series agents are nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union beginning in the 1970s. They are also called Novichok agents, and representative compounds are A-230, A-232, and A-234, which are liquids that are even more persistent than V-series agents and are just as potent. An A-series agent was used in a 2018 assassination attempt in the United Kingdom, and another A-series agent was used in the 2020 assassination attempt on Russian activist Alexei Navalny. None of these agents has a pronounced odor or causes local skin irritation. All nerve agents are organophosphorus esters, as are Organophosphate Poisoning and Carbamate Poisoning . However, nerve agents are far more potent; the LD 