Tasteless, odourless, lethal —and stockpiled

Press, 4 March 1978, Page 16

Tasteless, odourless, lethal —and stockpiled

By

JAMES FOLEY,

, of NZPA-Reuter

You cannot see them, you cannot smell them, you cannot taste them. But brilliant scientific minds have developed them to kill in mid-step. One of them is called prophyl methylphosphonofluoridate. They are nerve gases, and both Eastern and Western scientists are working to increase their killing power. They are designed for use against human beings, and N.A.T.O. claims the Soviet Union has a huge stockpile of nerve gases

and other equally horrific chemicals for use in war. The United States, convinced that only the threat of huge American stockpiles of chemical weapons prevented the Japanese and Germans from using their own during World War 11, also maintains a chemical warfare capability. The Americans used chemcials widely in the Vietnam war to defoliate forests and destroy rice crops. N.A.T.O. sources, expert in chemical warfare, say the Americans have devel-

oped a special shell to fire nerve gas from an artillery gun. Two non-lethal chemical components are separated inside the shell by a membrane. When the shell is

fired the shock of the explosion bursts the membrane, and the two chemicals mix in flight to become deadily. How toxic are the nerve agents, and how do they kill?

The N.A.T.O. sources said exposure for a minute to 10 milligrammes of the chemicals in a cubic metre of air resulted in death. “The tiniest drop in an aerosol spray from an air-

burst warhead will kill you in minutes unless you are completely protected,” said an expert. “If a nerve agent were dumped on you in liquid form, say from an attacking aircraft, you would be killed on

the spot, while you were running away, in midstep.” The nerve agents, closely related to organophosphorous insecticides, kill by stopping the body from disposing of the chemical acetylcholine released from nerve endings. The body uses this chemical to conduct nerve impulses. Their effect is to cause a person to build up acetylcholine within his body, and so poison himself. A fatal dose of nerve gas would have the fol-

lowing progressive effects on a person — his nose would run, he would sweat, he would vomit, he would choke, he would go blind, his muscles would twitch and convulse, he would experience involuntary defecation and urination, his heart or his respiratory system — or both — would fail, and he would die. The only effective protection against nerve agents, which can enter the body through the skin, eyes, or respiratory system, is complete coverage of the body with an anti-

chemical warfare suit and the use of a respirator. Special antidotes must be given quickly to muscular parts of the body, such as the thigh, to stop the effects of the agents. A major problem in dealing with a nerve gas attack is detection, because they are odourless, colourless, and tasteless. “Soldiers can be half dead through inhalation of nerve gases before they know what is happening,” said an expert. However, although it is difficult and takes to long to be any help, there

are chemical means of detecting the presence of nerve gas. But there is no known method of detecting other war chemicals, choking agents such as carbonyl chloride (phosgene). This gas damages the pulmonary system, leading to heart failure. A man can take more than 48 hours to die, during which his breathing will become more shallow, he will have a painful cough, he will drool a yellow liquid, and his pulse will weaken while racing to 150 beats a min-

ute before circulatory fail- • ure. One of the quickest killers of the war gases is hydrogen cyanide. A few breaths can kill you where you stand from respiratory failure. If death is delayed the brain will be damaged. The sources said cyanide, known in the chemical warfare business as a Blood agent, caused violent convulsions 20 seconds after inhalation. Death followed within 40 seconds of that. The least lethal of the chemical warfare gases

are blister agents such as the mustard gas :solphur mustard) of World War I, Scientists still are not completely sure how the gas, which. was developed by the Germans in 1917, works on the human body. Although it can cause lasting grave damage to the eyes, throat, and skin, symptoms that a person has received a dose may not appear for days — when it is too late to do anything about it. A bad dose can lead to bronchitis. Death would follow in a few days or be delayed as long as a month, the sources said.