US chemical weapons.... aka that's a LOT of VX...

[TXHokie]

Originally posted by: KB
Man I wish that was all wine or beer kegs.....

Yeah really. Just think of the good times everyone on the planet can have if all the effort that goes into producing WMD is diverted toward beer and party?

 

[Alex]

i'd never destroy that, just sell it on the black market to developing countries!

 

[StrangerGuy]

Originally posted by: d0ofy

Originally posted by: Aharami
is there any kind of antidote against VX?

Again from The Rock... Atropine directly injected in to the heart.

When I watched I wondered: "Won't that kill the heart?"

 

[HomeAppraiser]

Welcome to my world link.

pic

More info.

The tanks aren't bad, but the 155mm rockets are a bitch because the propellant can't be seperated from the VX!

 

[Mark R]

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy

Originally posted by: d0ofy
Again from The Rock... Atropine directly injected in to the heart.

When I watched I wondered: "Won't that kill the heart?"

Well, it won't kill the heart - but 'intra-cardiac' injections rarely get the right spot (studies have suggested that they often hit lung), and have a high risk of leaving a puncture wound allowing blood to escape into the sac surrounding the heart causing compression of the heart, or puncturing a lung causing it to collapse.

As a result, intra-cardiac injections are reserved for the movie screen rather than reality.

 

[OrganizedChaos]

seems like such a waste to make all that and never use it.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
seems like such a waste to make all that and never use it.

What's your ZIP code?

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: d0ofy

Originally posted by: Aharami
is there any kind of antidote against VX?

Again from The Rock... Atropine directly injected in to the heart.

As is mentioned above, the heart injection stuff is BS. The military uses auto-injectors that you either put in your thigh of your butt, the latter only if you don't have enough thigh meat to avoid injecting the stuff into your bone (ouch!).

Actually, though, atropine isn't an antidote to VX as there is no such thing. It works in the same way cold medicine works, by treating the symptoms not the underlying problem. Atropine just makes it less likely that VX's effects will kill you.

I used to drive by the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot in WA. It's wierd to see all these half buried chemical bunkers. What's really wierd is the emergency evacuation plans in place. What a joke? If this stuff escapes, you're toast. Colorless, odorless chemical weapons, very bad news.

They are chemical weapons, but they are not gasses, per se. Things like mustard and chlorine from the first world war were used in gas form, but the modern chemicals are more likely aerosol liquids that disperse in very fine droplets and can persist on the ground for some time for area denial.

So, more than likely, they will settle to the ground rather than drifting around like a cloud. Of course, if the wind is blowing your direction, you're screwed!

 

[Beau]

Judging from the picture name, it was taken Sept 24, 1997....

 

[BoomerD]

I used to drive by the Toole army depot in Utah every day. Supposed to be one of the largest depositories of Nerve Gas agents in the USA. The locals all had stories about the place, and warnings as well...I was glad when I was able to quit the job that had me working in the area, even though there was probably no real threat...and since I lived about 40 miles downwind, if something major had happened....well................

 

[ForumMaster]

wow. wonder how much we have. we don't advertise it quite as much, but I'm sure we too have chemical weapons.

 

[pnad]

From http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=99

The LD50 can be as little as 10mg for humans. It operates by cutting off the nervous system. It binds to the enzyme that transmits signals to the nerves and inhibits them. Therefore the nerves become isolated and uncontrollable. The antidote, atropine, is a toxin itself but it counteracts the effect of the VX by removing it from the enzyme. It is an anti-nerve agent so does the reverse of the VX, a nerve agent. It is normally injected into the arm or thigh but for gaseous attacks the atropine must go immediately into the heart. So full body protection and gas masks are essential to avoid exposure in a VX missile attack.

 

[Balt]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
seems like such a waste to make all that and never use it.

What's your ZIP code?

:laugh:

 

[Biggerhammer]

Originally posted by: Vich

Originally posted by: Aharami
is there any kind of antidote against VX?

Yeah, but i dont have time to google it right now

Atropine.

When I went through Basic, they told us that the atropine would save your a$$... for long enough to get you to a hospital. Because the atropine will kill you too, just slowly enough that the hospital should be able to save you.

I'd much rather we just shot at each other. Nerve gas is ugly stuff.

 

[Vonkhan]

Ebay it

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: pnad
From http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=99

The LD50 can be as little as 10mg for humans. It operates by cutting off the nervous system. It binds to the enzyme that transmits signals to the nerves and inhibits them. Therefore the nerves become isolated and uncontrollable. The antidote, atropine, is a toxin itself but it counteracts the effect of the VX by removing it from the enzyme. It is an anti-nerve agent so does the reverse of the VX, a nerve agent. It is normally injected into the arm or thigh but for gaseous attacks the atropine must go immediately into the heart. So full body protection and gas masks are essential to avoid exposure in a VX missile attack.

Other that that site, which is a general chemical site not a chemical warfare or medical site, there is absolutely no reference to injections into the heart for atropine. When that question was asked at my last chemical warfare class to the local trained expert, he stated that it was movie bunk. I regularly meet with a public health official on base -- I'll ask him about it next week.

And actually, I found out in reading that there IS a direct counter/antidote to VX. Atropine works by counteracting the effects of VX or blocking its effect but not eliminating it. 2-Pam Chloride (forget the full name) actually works in the bloodstream to destroy the VX molecules but works slowly. The military issues atropine, 2-Pam Chloride and "P-tabs" (P-something Bromide) for chem warfare kits. There's also another injector to counteract the potentially serious side effects of atropine -- can't remember the name right now.