Classification and a brief description of chemical warfare agents

Chemical weapons are toxic substances and the means by which they are used on the battlefield. The basis of the damaging effect chemical weapons constitute toxic substances.

Toxic substances (abbreviated as OM) are chemical compounds that, when used, can damage unprotected manpower or reduce their combat effectiveness. In terms of their damaging properties, explosive agents differ from other combat weapons: they are capable of penetrating together with air into various structures, tanks and other military equipment and inflict defeat on the people in them; they can maintain their destructive effect in the air, on the ground and in various objects for some, sometimes quite a long time; spreading through large volumes of air and over large areas, they inflict defeat on all people within their sphere of action without means of protection; Agent vapors are capable of spreading in the direction of the wind to significant distances from areas where chemical weapons are directly used.

Chemical weapons are distinguished by the following characteristics:

• 1) the nature of the physiological effects of OM on the human body;
• 2) tactical purpose;
• 3) the speed of the oncoming impact;
• 4) durability of the agent used;
• 5) means and methods of use.

Based on the nature of their physiological effects on the human body, there are six main types of toxic substances:

Nerve agents that affect the central nervous system. The purpose of using nerve agents is to quickly and massively incapacitate personnel with as many deaths as possible. Toxic substances in this group include sarin, soman, tabun and V-gases. damaging chemical weapon poisonous combat

Toxic substances vesicant action. They cause damage mainly through the skin, and when used in the form of aerosols and vapors, also through the respiratory system. The main toxic substances are mustard gas and lewisite.

Generally poisonous substances. Once in the body, they disrupt the transfer of oxygen from the blood to the tissues. These are one of the fastest acting agents. These include hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride.

Asphyxiating agents primarily affect the lungs. The main agents are phosgene and diphosgene.

Psychochemical agents are capable of incapacitating enemy manpower for some time. These toxic substances, affecting the central nervous system, disrupt normal mental activity a person or cause such mental disabilities as temporary blindness, deafness, a sense of fear, or limitation of motor functions. Poisoning with these substances in doses that cause mental disorders does not lead to death. OM from this group are quinuclidyl-3-benzilate (BZ) and lysergic acid diethylamide.

Irritating toxic substances, or irritants (from the English irritant -- irritant). Irritating substances are fast-acting. At the same time, their effect is usually short-lived, since after leaving the contaminated area, signs of poisoning disappear within 1-10 minutes. A lethal effect for irritants is possible only when doses entering the body are tens to hundreds of times higher than the minimum and optimally effective doses. Irritating agents include tear substances that cause excessive lacrimation and sneezing, irritating the respiratory tract (they can also affect the nervous system and cause skin lesions). Tear agents -- CS, CN, or chloroacetophenone and PS, or chloropicrin. Sneeze agents - DM (adamsite), DA (diphenylchloroarsine) and DC (diphenylcyanarsine). There are agents that combine tear and sneeze effects. Irritating agents are in service with the police in many countries and are therefore classified as police or special non-lethal means (special means).

There are known cases of the use of other chemical compounds that are not aimed at directly defeating enemy personnel. Thus, in the Vietnam War, the United States used defoliants (the so-called “Agent Orange” containing toxic dioxin), which caused leaves to fall from trees.

The tactical classification divides explosive agents into groups according to their combat purpose. Lethal agents (according to American terminology, lethal agents) are substances intended to destroy manpower, which include nerve agents, blister agents, general poisonous and asphyxiating agents. Temporarily incapacitating manpower (in American terminology, harmful agents) are substances that allow solving tactical problems of incapacitating manpower for periods ranging from several minutes to several days. These include psychotropic substances (incapacitants) and irritants (irritants).

However, non-lethal substances can also cause death. In particular, during the Vietnam War, the American army used the following types of gases:

CS -- orthochlorobenzylidene malononitrile and its formulations

CN -- chloroacetophenone

DM -- adamsite or chlorodihydrofenarsazine

CNS -- prescription form of chloropicrin

BAE -- bromoacetone

BZ -- quinuclidyl-3-benzilate.

According to the American military themselves, the gases were used in non-lethal concentrations. However, as Francis Kahn, a professor at the Sorbonne Faculty of Medicine, pointed out, conditions were created in Vietnam (use in large quantities in a confined space) when CS gas was a lethal weapon.

Based on the speed of exposure, a distinction is made between fast-acting and slow-acting agents. Fast-acting substances include nerve paralytics, general poisons, irritants and some psychotropic substances. Slow-acting substances include vesicants, asphyxiants and certain psychotropic substances.

Depending on the duration of preservation of the damaging ability, agents are divided into short-acting (unstable or volatile) and long-acting (persistent). The damaging effect of the former is calculated in minutes (AC, CG). The effect of the latter can last from several hours to several weeks after their use.

During the First World War, chemical weapons were very widely used in combat operations, but despite their lethality, their effectiveness was not justified. The possibility of use was extremely dependent on the weather, direction and strength of the wind; in some cases, suitable conditions for massive use had to wait for weeks. When used during offensives, the side using it itself suffered losses from its own chemical weapons, and the enemy’s losses did not exceed losses from traditional artillery fire during the artillery preparation of the offensive. In subsequent wars, the massive combat use of chemical weapons was no longer observed.

At the end of the twentieth century, in view of the high development of the protection of troops from weapons of mass destruction, the main purpose of combat weapons was considered to be exhaustion and pinning down enemy manpower.

One of the means of mass destruction is chemical weapons. The toxic substances used in this case are intended to harm human health. They enter the body through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, skin, and with food or water.

These drugs can cause enormous harm even in small doses. Therefore, penetration into the body through a small wound can already lead to serious consequences. Toxic substances are received simple methods, which are known to any chemist, and expensive raw materials are not required at all.

The Germans were the first to use chemical weapons in 1914-1918, at which time the First World War was going on. The chlorine they used caused significant harm to the enemy army.

Chemical warfare agents are capable of incapacitating an army for a long time, therefore, analyzing Germany’s use of these drugs, most states began to prepare for the use of chemical agents in upcoming military events.

This training necessarily included providing people with personal protective equipment, as well as various exercises that explain how to behave in the event of a chemical attack.

Currently, the danger comes not so much from the use of chemical weapons, but from accidents occurring at various chemical plants. During such extreme situations, poisoning may occur.

To know how to protect yourself from them, you need to navigate their varieties and understand the specific effects on the human body.

Classification of toxic substances

Many types of chemical substances can be distinguished, depending on the criterion that is taken as the basis for the classification.

If we consider the goal that the enemy sets for himself when using explosives, then they can be divided into the following categories:

• Lethal.
• Incapacitating for some time.
• Annoying.

If we focus on the speed of exposure, then toxic substances are:

• Fast-acting. A few minutes are enough for death or serious injury to occur.
• Slow acting. They have a hidden period of action.

All chemicals have a different period during which they can pose a danger to humans. Depending on this they are:

• Persistent. Dangerous after use for some time.
• Unstable. After a few minutes the danger decreases.

Classification of toxic substances according to their physiological effects on the body may look like this:

• Generally poisonous.
• Blistering substances.
• Nerve agents.
• Agent with asphyxiating effect.
• Psychochemical substances.
• Annoying.
• Toxins.

Damaging effects of toxic substances

Chemicals can be in different states, and therefore their routes of entry into the body are different. Some enter through the respiratory tract, and there are some that seep through the skin.

Chemical warfare agents have different damaging effects, which depend on the following factors:

1. Concentrations.
2. Density of infection.
3. Persistence.
4. Toxicity.

Poisonous substances can spread air masses long distances from the place of their use, thereby endangering people who do not have protective equipment.

Detection of agents can be done not only with the help of special equipment. Despite the fact that the characteristics of toxic substances are different, and they all have their own properties and characteristics, there are some common signs that indicate their presence:

• Clouds or fog appear at the site of the ammunition explosion.
• A foreign odor appears that is not typical for this area.
• Respiratory irritation.
• A sharp decrease in vision or even loss of vision.
• Plants wither or change color.

At the first sign of a danger of poisoning, it is necessary to urgently use protective equipment, especially if these are nerve agents.

Blistering substances

Penetration of these substances occurs through the surface of the skin. In a vapor state or in the form of an aerosol, they can enter the body through the respiratory system.

The most common drugs that can be classified in this group are mustard gas and lewisite. Mustard gas is a dark-colored oily liquid with a characteristic odor reminiscent of garlic or mustard.

It is quite durable; it can survive on the ground for up to two weeks, and winter time and about a month. Can affect the skin and organs of vision. In a state of steam, it penetrates the respiratory system. The danger of these substances lies in the fact that their effects begin to appear some time after infection.

After exposure, ulcers may appear on the skin, which do not heal for a very long time. If you deeply inhale chemical agents of this group, inflammation of the lung tissue begins to develop.

Nerve agents

This is the most dangerous group of drugs that has a lethal effect. Toxic nerve agents have an irreparable effect on the human nervous system.

Using substances of this category, it is possible to incapacitate a large number of people in a short time, since many simply do not have time to use protective equipment.

Nerve agents include:

• Sarin.
• Soman.
• Vi-x.
• Herd.

Most people are only familiar with the first substance. Its name most often appears in lists of OBs. It is a clear, colorless liquid with a faint pleasant aroma.

If this substance is used in the form of a fog or in a vapor state, then it is relatively unstable, but in a droplet-liquid form the danger persists for several days, and in winter even weeks.

Soman is very similar to sarin, but is more dangerous to humans, as it is several times stronger. Without the use of protective equipment, survival is out of the question.

The nerve agents VX and Tabun are low-volatile liquids with a high boiling point, so they are more persistent than sarin.

Asphyxiants

From the name itself it becomes clear that these substances affect the organs of the respiratory system. Well-known drugs from this group are: phosgene and diphosgene.

Phosgene is a highly volatile, colorless liquid with a slight odor of rotten apples or hay. It is able to affect the body in a vapor state.

The drug is a slow-acting substance and begins its effect after a few hours. The severity of the lesion will depend on its concentration, as well as on the condition of the human body and the time spent in the contaminated area.

Generally toxic drugs

Chemically toxic substances from this group enter the body with water and food, as well as through the respiratory system. These include:

• Hydrocyanic acid.
• Chlorcyan.
• Carbon monoxide.
• Phosphorous hydrogen.
• Arsenic hydrogen.

If affected, the following symptoms can be diagnosed: vomiting, dizziness, a person may lose consciousness, possible convulsions, paralysis.

Hydrocyanic acid smells like almonds; it is even found in small amounts in the seeds of some fruits, for example apricots, which is why it is not recommended to use fruits with seeds for compote.

Although this fear may be in vain, because hydrocyanic acid exerts its effect only in a vapor state. When affected by it, characteristic symptoms are observed: dizziness, metallic taste in the mouth, weakness and nausea.

Irritants

Irritating toxic substances can only affect humans for a short time. They are not lethal, but can cause temporary loss or decreased performance. They mainly affect nerve endings located in the skin and mucous membranes.

Their effect manifests itself almost instantly after application. Substances in this group can be divided into the following types:

• Tear-producing ones.
• Sneezing.
• Causing pain.

When exposed to substances of the first group, severe pain appears in the eyes, and copious release of tear fluid begins. If the skin of your hands is tender and sensitive, then burning and itching may appear on it.

Sneezing toxic substances of irritating effect affect the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which causes an attack of uncontrollable sneezing, coughing, and pain appears in the chest. Since there is an effect on the nervous system, headache, nausea, vomiting, and muscle weakness can be noted. In severe cases, convulsions, paralysis and loss of consciousness are possible.

Substances that have a painful effect provoke pain, as from a burn or blow.

Psychochemicals

This group of drugs affects the nervous system and causes changes in a person’s mental activity. Blindness or deafness, fear, and hallucinations may occur. Locomotor functions are impaired, but such lesions do not lead to death.

The most famous representative of this category is the drug BZ. When exposed to it, the following signs begin to appear:

1. Dry mouth.
2. The pupils become too wide.
3. The pulse quickens.
4. There is weakness in the muscles.
5. Concentration and memory decreases.
6. The person stops responding to external stimuli.
7. Hallucinations appear.
8. Complete detachment from the outside world.

The use of psychochemical drugs in war time leads to the enemy losing the ability to make correct and timely decisions.

First aid for exposure to toxic substances

Protection from chemicals may also be necessary in Peaceful time. In case of emergency situations At chemically hazardous sites, it is necessary to have personal protective equipment and transport on hand so that people can be removed from the contaminated place.

Since agents act rapidly, in such accidents many suffer serious injuries and require immediate hospitalization. What measures can be considered first aid:

1. Use of antidotes.
2. Thorough treatment of all exposed areas of the body in case drops of chemical agents get on them.
3. Put on a gas mask or at least a cotton-gauze bandage.
4. Remove the person from the affected area. This must be done first.
5. If necessary, carry out resuscitation measures.
6. Evacuation from the infected area.

First aid may vary depending on the toxic substance. For example, if damage has occurred due to irritating substances, then the following must be done:

• Remove gas mask and uniform, if possible.
• Inject 1 ml of 2% promedol.
• Thoroughly rinse the mouth, eyes, hands and face with a 2% sodium bicarbonate solution.
• If there is pain in the eyes, then it is necessary to instill a 2% solution of novocaine or atropine. You can put eye ointment on your eyelids.
• If a person suffers from cardiovascular diseases, then it is necessary to give him heart medications.
• Treat the skin with a 5% solution of potassium permanganate and apply an anti-burn bandage.
• Take antibiotics for several days.

Now there is special equipment and instruments that make it possible to determine not only the presence of toxic substances, recognize them, but also accurately determine their quantity.

Protection against toxic substances

If an accident occurs at a chemical plant, then the first task that should be taken is to protect the population living near the site of the emergency, as well as the plant’s employees.

The most reliable means of protecting mass use are considered to be shelters, which must be provided at such enterprises. But toxic substances begin their effects immediately, so when chemical substances are released, time passes by seconds and minutes, and assistance must be provided urgently.

All employees of the enterprise must be equipped with special breathing apparatus or gas masks. Now they are actively working on creating a new generation gas mask that will be able to protect against all types of toxic substances.

In case of chemical accidents, the speed of removal of people from the contaminated area is of great importance, and this is only possible if all these measures are clearly planned in advance, equipment for urgent evacuation is provided and is on standby.

The population of nearby settlements must be promptly notified of the danger of infection so that people take all necessary protective measures. It is necessary to first conduct conversations in case of such situations so that the population has an idea of ​​​​how to protect themselves from toxic substances.

It will soon be 100 years since the first chlorine gas attack in April 1915. Over the years, the toxicity of toxic substances has increased approximately 1900 times compared to the chlorine used at that time.

The variety of toxic substances adopted for service, differing from each other in physical and chemical properties and state of aggregation, the nature of the toxic effect and toxicity levels, significantly complicates the creation of anti-chemical protection means, especially antidote drugs, indication and warning systems.

Gas masks and skin protection kits, even the newest ones, have adverse effect on people, depriving them of normal mobility due to the aggravating effect of both the gas mask and skin protection, causing intolerable thermal stress, limiting visibility and other perceptions necessary to control combat equipment and communicate with each other. Due to the need to decontaminate contaminated equipment and personnel, in some cases it is necessary to withdraw military units from combat. There is no doubt that modern chemical weapons are a formidable weapon and, especially when used against troops and civilians who do not have adequate means of chemical protection, a significant combat effect can be achieved.

Chlorine, phosgene, mustard gas and other gases originally used can be called poisonous substances of the 1st World War. Organophosphorus toxic substances can rightfully be called chemical weapons of the 2nd World War. And the point is not so much that their discovery and development occurred during the years of this war and the first post-war years. Their damaging properties and toxic nerve agents could be most fully demonstrated precisely during the years of the last World War. For their effective use, there were vulnerable targets - troop positions saturated with openly located manpower. In those years, in areas where the front broke through at each square kilometer Several thousand people were concentrated, moreover, they did not have full-fledged means of anti-chemical protection. To use chemical shells and aerial bombs, the necessary combat groups of artillery and aviation were available.

The arrival of organophosphorus nerve agents into weapons arsenals marked the apogee in the development of chemical weapons. There is no further increase in its combat power and is not predicted in the future. Obtaining new toxic substances that would exceed the level of toxicity of modern lethal toxic substances and at the same time have optimal physicochemical properties (liquid state, moderate volatility, the ability to cause damage when exposed through the skin, the ability to be absorbed into porous materials and paint coatings, and etc.) is excluded. This conclusion is supported by the experience of developing chemical weapons over the past sixty years. Even binary munitions created in the 70s were filled with sarin and other toxic substances obtained approximately 30 years ago.

Over the past decade, there have been fundamental changes in weapons systems. The combat qualities of conventional weapons have sharply increased, primarily due to the introduction into service of high-precision weapons capable of inflicting damage on individual objects and even finding the required targets among others thanks to “intelligent” control and guidance systems.

This, and also the ending " cold war"and the extremely negative attitude in society towards chemical warfare agents led to the conclusion in 1993 of the international Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which entered into force on April 29, 1997.

Strange as it may seem, the countries where the largest reserves of toxic substances were accumulated were interested in the elimination of chemical weapons. The likelihood of a “big war” was minimized under these conditions nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence became quite sufficient. Removal of toxic substances outside international law became beneficial to countries with nuclear arsenals, since chemical weapons were considered by many odious regimes as a “poor man’s atomic bomb.”

INCAPACITANTS

The convention does not cover substances used by “law enforcement agencies” to “fight riots.”
Incapacitants include a large group of physiologically active substances with different types of toxic effects. In contrast to lethal substances, incapacitating doses of incapacitants are hundreds or more times lower than their lethal doses. Therefore, if these substances are used for military or police purposes, fatalities can be avoided. Incapacitants include irritants and disregulators. Irritants were used during the First World War, but they have not lost their importance to this day.

In the early 50s, the British chemical research center in Porton Down developed a technology for producing a new irritant, which received the CS code. Since 1961, it has been in service with the American Army. Later it entered service with the army and police of a number of other countries.

CS was used in large quantities during the Vietnam War. In terms of irritant action, the CS substance is significantly superior to the irritants of the First World War - adamsite (DM) and chloroacetophenone (CN). It is widely used by police and civilian self-defense.

There is a widespread opinion among ordinary people that this substance is “harmless”. However, this is far from true; in case of poisoning in large doses or with prolonged exposure, severe harm to health may occur, including burns of the respiratory tract.

Contact with the eyes can lead to severe burns of the cornea with partial or complete loss of vision. A number of researchers have noted a sharp decrease in immunity in people who have been repeatedly exposed to tear gas.

In 1962, the irritant CR was produced in Switzerland, 10 times more effective than CS. It was adopted by the army and police of Great Britain and the USA.

At elevated concentrations, its smoke causes intolerable irritation to the respiratory system and eyes, as well as to the skin of the entire body. In a vapor or aerosol state, CR has a powerful tear effect combined with a nettle-like, burning effect. Within seconds of exposure to an atmosphere containing CR vapors and aerosols, unbearable burning of the eyes, mouth and nose occurs, as well as lacrimation, blurred vision, irritation of the upper respiratory tract and burning of the skin.

When drops of a solution of CR substance come into contact with the skin, a sharp skin pain is observed that persists for several hours. Compared to other synthetic irritants, CR creates more discomfort for victims.

Irritants are not included in chemical weapons as defined in the text of the 1993 Chemicals Convention. The convention only calls on its parties not to use these chemicals during hostilities.

In fact, with the help of the latest irritants and other substances with a temporary release action that are not prohibited, it may be possible in the near future to overcome the gas mask, when the penetration of the agent through the gas mask and the irritation of the respiratory tract caused by it will make it impossible to continue wearing the gas mask due to a violation of the regime breathing, due to which the victim will be forced to tear off the gas mask from his face and expose himself to the harmful effects of hundreds of thousands of times higher concentrations of the irritant in the surrounding atmosphere.

Due to their complex of properties, irritants may be of interest as substances for debilitating enemy manpower. Under the terms of the Chemical Convention, they can be further developed, since their development is not prohibited. On the other hand, with the current state of the system of anti-chemical defense systems for troops, the task of destroying manpower may turn out to be impossible and therefore the task of not destroying, but pinning down the enemy’s manpower will come to the fore, which can not necessarily be solved only with the use of lethal toxic substances.

In the 50s, among supporters of the buildup of chemical weapons, there was a fascination with the idea of ​​a “bloodless war.” New substances were being developed to temporarily disable a significant part of the enemy troops and population. Some of these substances can incapacitate people, sending them into a world of dreams, complete depression or mindless euphoria.” Consequently, we were talking about the use of substances that cause mental disorders, disrupt the normal perception of the affected world and even deprive people of reason.

The natural hallucinogenic substance LSD has the described effect, but it is not available in significant quantities. In the UK, USA and Czechoslovakia, full-scale tests of the effects of LSD on military personnel were carried out in order to determine the effect of this substance on the ability of those participating in the experiment to perform combat missions. The effects of LSD were very similar to those of alcohol intoxication.

After an organized search for substances with a similar effect on the psyche, the choice was made in the USA in favor of a substance coded BZ. It was in service with the American army and was used in an experimental version in Vietnam.

At normal conditions substance BZ is solid and quite stable. It was intended for use in the form of smoke generated by the combustion of a pyrotechnic mixture containing BZ.
Intoxication of people with the BZ substance is characterized by severe mental depression and disruption of orientation in the environment. Toxic effects develop gradually, reaching a maximum after 30-60 minutes. The first symptoms of damage are rapid heartbeat, dizziness, muscle weakness, and dilated pupils. After about half an hour, weakening of attention and memory occurs, decreased response to external stimuli, loss of orientation, psychomotor agitation, periodically followed by hallucinations. After 1-4 hours, severe tachycardia, vomiting, confusion, loss of contact with the outside world are observed. Subsequently, outbursts of anger, the commission of actions inappropriate to the circumstances, and impaired consciousness with partial or complete loss of memory are possible. The state of poisoning persists for up to 4-5 days, and residual mental disorders can last up to 2-3 weeks.

Installations for field testing of ammunition loaded with BZ at the Edgewood test site, USA

There are still doubts about how predictable the enemy’s behavior is after exposure to psychochemical substances, and whether the enemy will fight more boldly and aggressively. In any case, the BZ substance was withdrawn from the arsenal of the US Army, but in other armies it did not come to the point of adopting it.

EMETICS

The group of emetics that have a strong emetic effect consists of synthetic substances and toxins. Among synthetic emetics, derivatives of apomorphine, aminotetralin and some polycyclic nitrogen-containing compounds may pose a threat to military use. The most well-known natural emetic is staphylococcal enterotoxin B.

The military use of natural emetics is associated with the possibility of causing death to persons in poor health, which can be avoided when using synthetic emetics. Synthetic and natural emetics can cause vomiting and other symptoms of damage through various routes of entry into the body, including inhalation. Victims quickly begin to vomit irrepressibly, accompanied by diarrhea. In this state, people cannot perform certain tasks or combat missions. Due to the release of vomit, those affected by emetics are forced to throw off the gas mask, regardless of whether the damaging agent is present or absent in the surrounding atmosphere.

BIOREGULATORS

Recently, publications have appeared concerning the prospects for creating biochemical or hormonal weapons, which are based on the use of endogenous bioregulators. According to experts, up to 10 thousand bioregulators of various chemical natures and functional purposes function in the body of warm-blooded animals. The mental state, mood and emotions, sensation and perception are under the control of bioregulators. mental capacity, body temperature and blood pressure, tissue growth and regeneration, etc. When bioregulators are imbalanced, disorders occur that lead to loss of performance and health, and even death.
Bioregulators are not prohibited by both chemical and biological conventions. Research, as well as the production of bioregulators and their analogues in the interests of healthcare, can be used to cover up work on the creation of biochemical weapons, bypassing conventions.

NARCOTIC ANALGESICS

The group of narcotic analgesics consists of derivatives of morphine and fentanyl, which have an immobilizing effect. The advantage of substances with morphine-like effects is their high activity, safety during use, as well as a quickly onset and sustained incapacitating effect. In the 70-80s, artificially synthesized substances of this group were obtained that had an extremely high “impact” effect. Carfentanil, sufentanil, alfentanil and lofentanil, which are of interest as potential toxic substances, were synthesized.

Carfentanil is one of the most active substances from the entire group of fentanyl derivatives studied. It exhibits its activity through various routes of entry into the body, including inhalation of vapor or aerosol. As a result of one-minute inhalation of carfentanil vapor, immobilization occurs with loss of consciousness.

Narcotic analgesics are used by intelligence services. The case of their use during a special operation related to the terrorist attack on October 26, 2002 on Dubrovka in Moscow, also referred to as “Nord-Ost,” received wide publicity.

During the storming of the building with hostages who were being held Chechen fighters, a narcotic analgesic was used. The main justification for the need to use gas during a special operation to free hostages is that the terrorists have weapons and explosive devices, which, if detonated, could kill all the hostages. For a number of reasons, the drug released into the building did not have an effect on everyone: some hostages remained conscious, and some of the terrorists continued to fire for 20 minutes, but no explosion occurred and all the terrorists were eventually neutralized.

Of the 916 people taken hostage, according to official data, 130 people died as a result of exposure to chemical agents. The exact composition of the gas used by security forces during the assault remains unknown. Experts from the Laboratory of Scientific and Technological Basic Safety in Salisbury (UK) believe that the aerosol consisted of two analgesics - carfentanil and remifentanil. According to the official statement of the FSB, a “special formulation based on fentanyl derivatives” was used in Dubrovka. Officially the leading cause of death large quantity hostages is called “exacerbation of chronic diseases.”

It is worth noting here that in terms of incapacitating action, the most active of narcotic analgesics, in terms of their level of action, achieve the effect of nerve agents. They are quite capable, if necessary, of replacing non-conventional agents.

When used suddenly, when the enemy is taken by surprise, the effect of narcotic analgesics can be stunning. Even in small doses, the effect of the substance is knockout - the living force that is attacked after a few minutes loses the ability to resist. An overdose results in death, which apparently happened to those killed in Nord-Ost.

In terms of their incapacitating effect, the most active of narcotic analgesics reach the level of toxic nerve agents.

Incapacitating doses of the most active known incapacitants and non-lethal chemical agents

The list of drugs of various effects that can be used as chemical warfare agents is continuously updated, as a product of a “by-product” of the research process in the creation of various medicines and plant protection products (this is how nerve agents were discovered in Germany in the 30s). Work in this area in government has never stopped and, apparently, will not stop. secret laboratories. There is a high probability of creating new poisons that are not covered by the provisions of the 1993 Chemical Convention.

This may serve as an incentive to switch scientific teams of military departments and industry from the development and production of lethal toxic substances to the search and creation of new types of chemical weapons in circumvention of the convention.

Based on materials:
http://rudocs.exdat.com/docs/index-19796.html
http://mirmystic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2695&mobile=mobile
ALEXANDROV V.A., EMELYANOV V.I. Poisonous substances. Moscow, Military Publishing House, 1990

On the way from coal Before the pyramidon, or before the bottle of perfume, or before the ordinary photographic preparation, there lie such devilish things as TNT and picric acid, such magnificent things as bromobenzyl cyanide, chlorine picrin, diphenylchloroarsine, and so on, and so on, that is, combat gases that make people sneeze, cry, tear off their protective masks, choke, vomit blood, become covered with boils, rot alive...

A.N. Tolstoy, “Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin”

The chemical king Rolling colorfully described the possibilities of chemistry on the battlefield, but still exaggerated the colors a little and sinned against the truth. The toxic substances that were available at the time of writing “Engineer Garin’s Hyperboloid” were quite successfully filtered by gas masks and were effective only if the chemical discipline of the personnel was low. And on the way from coal to the pyramidon, no serious toxic substances can be traced. But we should give credit to Alexei Tolstoy - he was able to convey the attitude towards poisonous gases that dominated the world of the early twentieth century.

Today, Hiroshima has become the symbol of weapons of mass destruction. And ninety-five years ago, the short name of the provincial Belgian town of Ypres sounded just as ominous. We'll get to that later, but let's start with earlier precedents for the combat use of toxic substances...

Poisons and agents - what is the difference?

In the American army, this sign is placed on everything that is related
approach to chemical weapons.

Poisons are a very broad category. It includes any substances that in one way or another cause harm to a living organism when chemical interaction with him. But not all poisons can be used as an active component of chemical weapons of mass destruction. For example, highly toxic potassium cyanide completely unsuitable for combat use - it is extremely difficult to convert into an aerosol, and in aerosol form its toxicity is insufficient to effectively destroy manpower. Most of the poisons mentioned in the previous article cannot be used in battle for the same reason or for a number of other reasons - complexity and high cost of production, shelf life, unacceptable period of latent action, ability to penetrate the biological barriers of the body.

The definition of chemical agents (toxic substances) is quite succinct - these are highly toxic chemical compounds designed to destroy enemy personnel. As a matter of fact, the entire set of requirements for environmental protection is contained in this definition. When setting the task of creating chemical agents, many properties of an economic, biochemical and military nature are taken into account. The substance must provide a guaranteed effect at combat concentrations, be stored for a certain time without changing the toxicological characteristics, be effectively delivered to the place of use, and be decontaminated after a specified period. And of course, it should be quite simple to synthesize, not require expensive raw materials and technological processes.

Chemical weapons are often confused with chemical agents. But these are still different things. Chemical weapons are a complex of means for storing, delivering and converting toxic substances into combat form. And the chemical agents themselves are an active component of chemical weapons. For example, a sealed container with sarin is not yet a chemical weapon; it is not suitable for prompt delivery and rapid distribution of chemical agents over a large area. But the warhead of the Honest John missile, equipped with sarin containers, yes.

From defense to attack

These were the trebuchets that threw the first chemical munitions into the enemy fortress. Two dead dogs an hour. Or two chamber pots.

Attempts to use chemical weapons were noted in historical documents of antiquity. Chinese texts of the 4th century BC describe the use of poisonous gases to combat enemy tunneling under the walls of the fortress - smoke from a burning mixture of mustard and wormwood was injected into the counter-mining, which caused suffocation and even death. And in military treatises of the times Chinese dynasty Song (960-1279) mentions the use of toxic smoke produced by burning the mineral arsenopyrite containing arsenic.

During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans used toxic and suffocating sulfur smoke during offensive operations, but how effective its use was, history is silent.

Medieval sieges of fortresses gave rise to a mass of ersatz substitutes for chemical weapons. Pots of sewage and decomposed animal corpses were thrown into the besieged territory. However, if we recall the level of sanitary culture medieval cities, the effectiveness of such “weapons” is questionable. It was then difficult to deprive someone of their presence of mind with the corpse of a dog on the street or a fetid puddle of sewage.

The invention of gunpowder made it possible to create primitive chemical ammunition, consisting of a mixture of poisons and gunpowder. Such bombs were thrown by catapults and exploded in the air, forming heavy toxic aerosols that poisoned enemy soldiers. The toxic component of these bombs was a variety of poisonous substances - croton alkaloids, arsenic compounds, aconite extract. In 1672, during the siege of the city of Groningen, Bishop Christoph Bernard van Galen ordered the addition of belladonna to the incendiary compositions of projectiles. And a little later, the Brazilian aborigines fought the conquistadors with the help of the suffocating and irritating smoke of red pepper containing the alkaloid capsoicin.

If we approach this from the point of view of military toxicology, we can say that in antiquity and the Middle Ages they were mainly used sternites And lachrymators- substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. Modern toxicology includes both of these classes in the group incapacitants, that is, substances that temporarily disable living force. Of course, we never dreamed of killing enemy soldiers “with one breath.”

This is interesting: Leonardo da Vinci was interested in chemical weapons, who created whole list drugs that, in his opinion, are promising for combat use. However, all of them were too expensive and not effective enough for use on the battlefield.

Being a lord sounds proud!

The British Lord Playfair was a supporter
com fair play. In any case, his arguments against the use of gases concerned the ethical
ty, not practicality.

During the Crimean War, the British command discussed a project to storm Sevastopol using sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapor, which, according to the plan, was supposed to suppress the fire resistance of the defenders. White Flag Admiral Thomas Cochrane, the project developer, prepared and handed over all the documentation to the government. Even the required amount of sulfur was determined - 500 tons. The documentation was eventually reviewed by a committee headed by Lord Lyon Playfair. The committee decided not to use such weapons for ethical reasons, but from the correspondence of committee members with members of the government it can be concluded that the reasons were much more pragmatic - the lords were afraid of getting into a funny position if they failed.

The experience accumulated over the first half of the twentieth century convincingly proved that the lords were right - an attempt at a gas attack on fortified Sevastopol would have been a complete failure.

Over the next sixty years, the military continued to abhor chemical weapons. The reason for this is not only the contemptuous attitude of military leaders towards the poisoners, but also the lack of need for such weapons. Toxic substances did not fit into established combat tactics.

Around the same time as Great Britain, Russia was also thinking about developing chemical weapons. Field tests of ammunition with explosive agents were even carried out, but due to the lack of experience in its use, they showed almost zero results. Work in this direction was completely curtailed until 1915, when Germany violated the Hague Declaration of 1899, which prohibited “the use of projectiles whose sole purpose is to distribute asphyxiating or harmful gases.”

Gases in the trenches

main reason, which inspired Germany to develop chemical weapons, is the most developed chemical industry in Europe. In addition, the transition to trench warfare in October 1914, after the defeat of the Marne and Aeneas, required large quantities of artillery ammunition and left Germany no hope of success. The head of the Institute was forced to lead the development of chemical warfare agents and methods of their use. physical chemistry Kaiser Wilhelm in Berlin Fritz Haber. Since the outbreak of war, he has taken a leading position in the development of chemical weapons of mass destruction and means of protection against them, developing the deadly gas chlorine and gas masks with an absorbent filter; he is appointed head of the chemical service of the German troops.

Fritz Haber. The man who created the first chemical weapons. His creation claimed more lives than two American atomic bombs.

This is interesting: Fritz Haber is the inventor of the infamous Zyklon B, which was originally intended as a pesticide but was widely used by the Nazis during World War II to exterminate prisoners in death camps.

British infantrymen during exercises under conditions of chemical warfare
th weapons. Speed ​​is the key to not only winning
Yes, but also survival.

Strictly speaking, France was the first to use chemical weapons back in August 1914. These were 26-mm rifle grenades with xylylbromide and bromoacetone lachrymators. But gross violation The Hague Convention did not consider this to be the case, since the compounds in question were not lethally dangerous.

At that time, Germany had already established the production of dimethylarsine oxide and phosgene - toxic substances with a generally toxic and asphyxiating effect. Next in line were artillery ammunition filled with toxic substances. The first batch of such shells (about three thousand) was used in the defense of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915, but it did not show noticeable combat effectiveness.

This is how repeated experiments with irritating non-lethal chemical agents led to the conclusion that they are extremely low in effectiveness. And then Fritz Haber proposed using OM in the form of a gas cloud. He personally trained soldiers in gas units, supervised the filling of cylinders and their transportation. A landmark date in the history of military warfare was April 22, 1915, when Germany carried out a massive chlorine attack against Anglo-French troops in the area of ​​the Belgian city of Ypres. In seventeen hours, 5,730 cylinders were used.

The results of the attack were terrifying - 15 thousand soldiers were poisoned, with every third one dying, and those who managed to survive were left blind and disabled with burned lungs. But the Germans failed to consolidate their success - the lack good funds personal protection led to a delay in the advance of the German infantry and the closing of the front breakthrough by the British reserve.

Gas attack.

This is interesting: For the successful implementation of a gas attack against the Allied forces, Fritz Haber was awarded the rank of captain of the German forces. However, his wife Clara considered the development of chemical weapons barbaric and humiliating. On the night of May 2, 1915, when Fritz Haber put on his captain's uniform for the first time and celebrated his promotion, Clara committed suicide. Haber was not present at her funeral - by order German command he urgently went to the eastern front to prepare a new gas attack.

Clara Immerwahr is the wife of Fritz Haber. She was the first person to give her life in protest against chemical weapons.

The gas mask of the First World War was much less elegant than the current one. But he performed his task properly.

On May 31, 1915, the Germans used an even more highly toxic asphyxiant agent against Russian troops - phosgene. Nine thousand people died. And two years later in the Ypres area it was first tested mustard gas, aka mustard gas. During the period from 1917 to 1918, the warring parties used 12 thousand tons of mustard gas, which affected about 400 thousand people.

Throughout the First World War, chemical weapons were used many times - both by Germany and the Entente. In total, during the period from April 1915 to November 1918, the Germans carried out more than 50 gas attacks, the British - 150, the French - 20.

Soon, gas cylinders were replaced by gas launchers - a kind of artillery guns that fired gas containers with a nose fuse. Despite the fact that this delivery method made chemical weapons independent of wind direction, there was only one case of serious tactical success - when the Austro-Hungarian divisions broke through the Italian front at Caporetto.

Russia began developing and producing chemical weapons relatively late, due to the negative attitude of the high command. However, after the gas attack at Ypres, those “at the top” were forced to reconsider their view of things.

Already in August 1915, the production of liquefied chlorine was established, and in October the production of phosgene began. But the use of chemical weapons by the Russian army was sporadic, since they failed to develop any concept for its use until the end of the First World War.

For the First world side consumed a huge amount of toxic substances - about 125 thousand tons, with approximately forty percent coming from Germany. During combat operations, more than forty types of combat agents were tested, including three blister agents, two asphyxiating agents, 31 irritant agents and five general toxic agents. Total losses from chemical weapons are estimated at 1.3 million people, of which up to 100 thousand are irrecoverable.

Geneva Protocol

In 1874 and 1899, two declarations concerning the non-use of chemical weapons were developed - the Brussels and the Hague. But they were so imperfect that they lost relevance by the time they were signed. Politicians did not understand chemistry at all and allowed ridiculous formulations like “poisoned weapons” and “asphyxiating gases.” Ultimately, none of these declarations came into force, although the Hague was signed by several countries.

This is interesting: The very first agreement concerning the non-use of chemical weapons was signed on August 27, 1675 by France and the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The parties pledged not to use “treacherous and fetid” poisonous substances in war.

The machine gunners in position are very vulnerable to the gas cloud. They can only rely on the quality of their gas masks.

There were two opposing trends in the interwar decades. European society was strongly opposed to chemical weapons, and industrialists in Europe and the United States, on the contrary, in every possible way promoted the idea of ​​​​chemical weapons as an indispensable component of any war, because we were talking about considerable allocations for military orders.

The League of Nations, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, held a number of conferences promoting a ban on the use of military agents. In 1921, the Washington Conference on Arms Limitation took place. To discuss the applicability of chemical weapons, a special subcommittee was created that had information on the results of the use of chemical weapons in the First World War. The subcommittee's resolution sounded laconic and extremely clear: the use of chemical weapons against the enemy on land and water cannot be allowed.

On June 17, 1925, in Geneva, the “Protocol on the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous and Other Similar Gases and Bacteriological Agents in War” was created and signed by many states, which has to date been ratified by 134 states, including the USA and Great Britain. However, the “Protocol” did not in any way regulate the development, production and storage of military agents and did not stipulate bacterial toxins. This allowed the United States to expand the Edgewood Arsenal (Maryland) and engage in further development of chemical weapons without fear of protests from the countries participating in the Protocol. Moreover, a too narrow interpretation of the concept of “war” made it possible for the United States to widely use defoliants in Vietnam.

Dead weight

Zyklon B could be transported in such cans. Before opening and heating, it was practically harmless.

After Hitler came to power, Germany resumed the development of combat weapons, and of a clearly offensive nature. German chemical plants produced chemical agents that showed high efficiency during the First World War. At the same time, work was carried out to search for even more effective chemical compounds. In 1935, blister agents were obtained N-Lost And O-Lost, and another year later - the first nerve agent herd. By 1945, Germany had in stock 12 thousand tons of herd, which was not produced anywhere else. At the end of the war, the equipment for the production of tabun was exported to the USSR.

Of course, the Nazis ignored all international treaties, but stocks of nerve gases remained in warehouses throughout the war. Among the possible reasons for this, two are usually identified.

Firstly, Hitler assumed that the USSR large quantity combat agents, and the use of gases by Germany can provide carte blanche to the enemy. In addition, the length of the eastern front and the vast territory of the Soviet Union would make chemical weapons very ineffective. Germany, from a geographic point of view, was in a very vulnerable position to chemical attacks.

Secondly, the nature of military operations in eastern front it was not positional, the tactical situation sometimes changed very quickly, and the means of chemical defense were already quite effective at that time.

Yesterday's day, today's day

An American UH-1D helicopter sprays Agent Orange in the Mekong Delta.

Police grenades with CN lachrymator look very solid. Even somehow in a military way.

The demonstration of the effectiveness of nuclear weapons has convincingly shown their superiority over chemical weapons. After all, the damaging effects of chemical weapons depend on many unpredictable factors, and this creates difficulties in military planning. In addition, chemical weapons primarily affect civilians, while armed forces equipped with protective equipment can remain combat-ready. These considerations ultimately led the United States to accede to the Geneva Protocol in 1975, following the end of the Vietnam War.

Although the defoliants dropped on Vietnam were intended to destroy the jungle and facilitate the search for the Viet Cong, the simplified synthesis technology led to the defoliants being contaminated with dioxin. According to the US Department of Defense, from 1962 to 1971, the Americans sprayed 77 million liters of defoliant on the territory of South Vietnam Agent Orange, partially containing dioxin. Of the three million victims of the chemical, over a million people under the age of 18 now suffer from hereditary diseases.

Despite the factors restraining and limiting the use of chemical weapons, their development continued until recently, and according to some data it is still underway. The nerve gas VX, twenty times more toxic than soman, was created at the UK Chemical Defense Experimental Laboratories in 1952. And in 1982, US President Ronald Reagan authorized the start of production of binary chemical weapons, consisting of two relatively harmless substances, the mixture of which turns into a highly toxic agent during the flight of a projectile or missile.

Today, the use of so-called police gases to suppress civil unrest is considered conditionally justified. And of course, the reasonable use of chemical means in anti-terrorist operations can be considered completely justified. However, large-scale tragedies are also possible when non-lethal chemical agents are used. For example, during the liberation of the hostages of the terrorist attack on Dubrovka, known as “Nord-Ost”, according to official data, 130 people died, and according to the testimony of the surviving hostages, more than 170. In total, more than 700 people were injured.

Arrow poisons

An Indian hunter is busy making poisoned arrows. The matter is very responsible
The main thing is not to get scratched yourself.

Since ancient times, man has used poisons not only to kill his neighbor, but also for hunting. What’s interesting is that all prehistoric communities, separated by insurmountable oceans, independently came to the idea of ​​arrow poison, that is, a poison that can be used to poison an arrow. The only differences were in how one or another poison acted. And this depended only on what sources of poison were available.

Indians South America They used curare for hunting - a nerve poison surrounded by a mystical aura and serving as an object of cautious admiration for Europeans. An animal struck by a poisoned arrow fell to the ground completely paralyzed within a minute and died from respiratory arrest. The method of preparing curare remained a secret for a long time to the European conquerors of America, and the chemistry of those times could not cope with the analysis of its composition. Moreover, different tribes used different recipes and manufacturing methods.

The study of the physiological effects of curare began by the famous French physiologist Claude Bernard in the middle of the last century, and the isolation and study of the alkaloids it contains continued almost until our time. Today the composition and active principle Indian arrow poison is known. The alkaloid has a neurotoxic effect tubocurarine, contained in the bark of strychnos poisonous. After a long study, tubocurarine entered the medical arsenal - it is used to relax muscles during surgical operations and in traumatology. Tubocurarine is very selective, it affects only skeletal muscles, without affecting either the heart muscle or smooth muscles. If a person into whose blood tubocurarine is injected is given artificial respiration until the poison is completely cleared from the body, then he will remain alive and unharmed.

David Livingstone is a true explorer
tel. Attentiveness and the ability to draw the right conclusions were fully inherent in him.

Aborigines South Africa Cardiac glycoside was used to create their arrow poisons strophanthin. This was discovered purely by chance and only because English traveler David Livingston was attentive. On his second expedition, he used a toothbrush that lay next to poisoned arrows and found that after brushing his teeth, his pulse slowed down noticeably. But it was only many years later that an employee of an English trading post in Nigeria was able to obtain the amount of poison required for research. Nowadays strophanthin is a very important cardiac drug. With his help, many people were saved.

The same Livingston, who studied the life of the African Bushmen, described an extremely complex arrow poison, which included diamphidia larvae. The poison had hemotoxic properties. Depending on the size of the animal, death occurred within a few minutes or several hours. At the same time, the meat remained edible; it was only necessary to cut out the area around the wound. Research has shown that the basis of the poison is a polypeptide with a molecular weight of about 60,000. Already at concentrations of 60-70 molecules per red blood cell, the poison leads to the destruction of blood cells and the death of the body from tissue hypoxia. Bushmen arrow poison, unlike curare, does not lose toxicity over time. German toxicologist Louis Levin discovered that the poison, which had lain in the Berlin Museum for ninety years, retained its properties.

The tribes of Java, Sumatra and Borneo received arrow poison from a tree glorified by Pushkin - anchara. Its active principle is the glycoside antiarin, which has cardiotoxic activity.

Classification of agents

The variety of combat agents by class of compounds, properties and combat purpose requires streamlining. But in one and universal classification there is no need, since the views on the serviceman’s physical condition medical service do not coincide at all with the views of a specialist in operational-tactical planning. That is why there are several systems that take as a basis the properties and features of the OM that are most characteristic of their profile.

Physiological classification allows you to combine into one system measures for protection, degassing, sanitization and medical care. Extremely good for field conditions, where there may be an acute shortage of doctors, but it often does not take into account side effects Agents that may pose no less danger than the main one. In addition, new chemical agents appear from time to time in the arsenal of chemical weapons, which are generally difficult to attribute to any known group.

Based on their physiological effects on the body, chemical agents are divided into seven types (this division is considered recognized by domestic military toxicology and may differ for foreign schools).

Nerve agents

Chemical munitions. Mostly smoke and tear.

American anti-
gas of the 1944 model has already acquired modern
changeable outlines.

They affect the human nervous system, entering the body through the respiratory tract or skin. They are usually volatile liquids. The purpose of using a nerve agent is to quickly (within 10-15 minutes) and massively incapacitate enemy personnel with as many deaths as possible. Toxic substances in this group include sarin, soman, herd And V-agents(in particular, VX). The lethal concentration for exposure through the respiratory system is 0.01 mg*min/l for VX, and for resorption through the skin is 0.1 mg/kg.

The toxicity of nerve agents can be characterized as follows: if a person opens a laboratory test tube with soman for a few seconds while holding his breath, the evaporated agent will be enough to kill him by being absorbed through the skin.

Generally poisonous agents

Generally toxic agents penetrate the respiratory tract and affect the mechanisms of oxygen transfer from the blood to the tissues. This mechanism of action makes them the fastest acting agents. Agents of this type include hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride, which was used to a limited extent during the First World War. Their disadvantage can be considered a fairly high lethal concentration - about 10 mg*min/l.

Bogdan Stashinsky used a stream of hydrocyanic acid in the face during the liquidation of Stepan Bandera in 1959. Considering the nature of the action of hydrocyanic acid, we can say that Bandera had no chance.

In five US states, until recently, hydrocyanic acid was used to execute prisoners in gas chamber. But death, as practice has shown, in this case does not occur instantly. Donald Harding, executed in a gas chamber in 1992, took eleven minutes to die. It got to the point where he was advised to breathe deeper, that is, to take Active participation in his own execution...

Blistering agents

This group includes substances with cytotoxic effects. They destroy cell membranes, stop carbohydrate metabolism, and remove nitrogenous bases from DNA and RNA. Their effect on the skin and respiratory tract leads to the formation of ulcers, which sometimes take two to three months to heal. The insidiousness of blister agents is that their effects are not accompanied by pain and appear two to three hours after contact with the skin. When inhaled, acute pneumonia develops.

Blistering agents include mustard gas And lewisite. The minimum dose of mustard gas that causes the formation of abscesses on the skin is 0.1 mg/cm2 (a drop of such a mass is practically invisible to the naked eye). The lethal dose for exposure through the skin is 70 mg/kg with a latent period of action of up to twelve hours.

Asphyxiating agents

A typical representative of asphyxiating agents is phosgene. It causes pulmonary edema, leading to lung failure and death from suffocation. At a concentration of 5 mg/l, a few seconds of inhalation are sufficient to obtain a lethal dose. But toxic pulmonary edema develops only after a latent period lasting up to several hours. Because of this, phosgene as a combat agent could only be used in trench warfare, and today it is recognized as ineffective.

Sneezing OBs (sternites)

The name of this class may cause a disdainful smile in an inexperienced reader. But allergy sufferers, who sometimes sneeze a hundred times without a break, understand well what kind of torment this is. A sneezing person is unable to shoot or defend himself hand-to-hand. Sternites can be used in combination with lethal chemical agents to force a soldier to rip off his gas mask if a gas attack begins suddenly and he has time to take a few breaths before putting on the mask.

Typical sternites are adamsite and diphenylchloroarsine.

Tear agents (lacrimators)

Lachrymators are perhaps the most popular poisonous substances in the modern world. They have long ceased to be considered combat weapons and are firmly established in the pocket cans of law-abiding citizens. The well-known CS and Cheryomukha are precisely lachrymators.

Lachrymator cartridges receive a variety of reviews. But most often they are dismissive.

Such cans appeared in the mid-80s. And at first they were perceived as a superweapon.

Sternites and lachrymators have recently been combined into a subgroup irritants(irritant agent), which, in turn, can be classified as a group incapacitants, that is, non-lethal agents of reversible action. In addition, foreign sources include in the group of incapacitants a number of psychotropic substances that cause short-term mental disorder, and algogens, that is, agents that cause an intolerable burning sensation upon contact with the skin (for example, cayenne pepper extract containing capsoicin). The vast majority of these substances are not considered by military toxicology.

However, there are also combat irritants. This is, for example, dibenzoxazepine, obtained by Swiss chemists in 1962. Contact with the skin of 2 mg of dry dibenzoxazepine for ten minutes will cause redness, 5 mg will cause a burning sensation, and 20 mg will cause unbearable pain. At the same time, attempts to wash off the irritant with water only enhance its effect.

Psychochemical agents

These toxic substances affect the central nervous system and disrupt normal mental activity of a person. They can cause temporary blindness and deafness, panic fear, hallucinations, and disturbances in locomotor functions. In concentrations sufficient to produce psychotropic effects, these agents do not lead to death.

A typical representative is BZ. It causes dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased heart rate, muscle weakness, weakened attention and memory, decreased reactions to external stimuli, psychomotor agitation, hallucinations, and loss of contact with the outside world. The incapacitating concentration is 0.1 mg*min/l, and the lethal concentration is at least a thousand times higher.

Tactical classification subdivides agents according to volatility (unstable, persistent and toxic-smoke), the nature of the effect on manpower (lethal, temporarily incapacitating, training), the speed of onset of the damaging effect (with a period of latent action, fast-acting).

The conventions of tactical classification are visible even to a non-specialist. So, for example, the concept of a lethal chemical agent is very flexible and depends on many factors, which are impossible to take into account in combat conditions - weather conditions, chemical discipline of manpower, the provision of its means of protection and their quality, the availability and condition of military equipment. A civilian may well die from a police lachrymator CS at a high concentration, but a trained and equipped soldier will survive in conditions of very strong chemical contamination of the area with the highly toxic VX nerve gas.

So we have completed a brief acquaintance with combat agents - from ancient sulfur smoke to modern VX. I wish you fresh mountain air and spring water. Until next time, and be happy whenever possible.

Toxic substances are synthesized compounds that have toxic properties.. They are able to penetrate into the bloodstream through the respiratory organs, stomach, and skin. The effectiveness of toxic substances during combat operations is assessed by their high degree toxicity. Toxic compounds are used not only to suppress enemy personnel, they are also part of herbicides that are used to control pests of agricultural crops.

general characteristics

Toxic substances are basic part chemical weapons, which is in service with some countries. Russia and the United States have the largest reserves of toxic compounds, including in the form of warheads. Toxic substances, when used, cause damage to enemy personnel, which reduces the ability to resist and the possibility of a retaliatory attack.

The damaging properties of poisons of this type differ from others military weapons. They penetrate from the surrounding space into buildings, military equipment, cause harm to military personnel and civilians.

Toxic compounds, even in small doses, cause significant harm to the human body. Minor damage to the skin (cracks, cuts, scratches) provokes infection and rapid spread of toxins in the blood to the brain and internal organs. This condition often causes death or irreversible health complications for the victim. Characteristic features of toxic substances include:

• preservation of properties in the surrounding space;
• duration of exposure;
• ability to spread over vast territories;
• mass destruction;
• danger for all people not equipped with chemical protective equipment.

There is a risk of infection for civilians if gusts of wind blow toxic gases or vapors towards them. settlement. Synthesizing the main types of toxic substances does not require the use of high-tech processes and expensive raw materials. If necessary, to replenish reserves, as many toxins as required will be produced, and in a short time. Today, the relevance of the use of chemical weapons is gradually fading as a result of signed agreements between the governments of countries with large stockpiles of warheads. But the danger of infection still exists.

Acute intoxication can occur in the event of emergency releases of poison into the atmosphere during emergencies in industrial and chemical production.

Also, the cause of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest is non-compliance with safety precautions when working with pesticides, their irrational use or improper storage. To avoid the negative consequences of poisoning, you should understand the main types of toxic compounds and the mechanism of their action on the human body, and know what groups poisons are divided into.

Basic classifications

Since in the vast majority of cases poisons are used for the manufacture of chemical warfare weapons, the following classification of toxic substances is used to characterize the toxic properties:

• Lethal. Capable of causing lethal damage to enemy personnel using in various ways penetration of poison. In addition to chemical compounds, this group includes botulinum toxin.
• Temporarily striking. When ingested into the human bloodstream, they provoke extensive intoxication, which lasts from several hours to several days. During the lesion, the functional activity of all vital systems of the body is disrupted, the victim is unable to conduct combat operations.
• Short-term. Most often, such chemical compounds are used by law enforcement agencies to deal with illegal actions of criminals. When in contact with the skin or mucous membranes, toxic substances have an irritating effect, which disappears without a trace after a few hours. But there remains a danger of infection for a stranger if he finds himself during this time period in an area where a toxic compound was sprayed.

Chemical warfare agents are in liquefied form, and when used they take on vapor, aerosol or liquid droplet form. If the ground layer of air becomes the object of contamination, then compounds that can transform into a state of vapor or fine aerosol suspension are used.

Clouds formed by vapors or aerosols are called primary; they have the strongest damaging properties. If clouds arise from evaporation from the soil, then they are classified as secondary, with less pronounced toxic effects. Also, according to their tactical purpose, toxic substances are classified as follows:

• Fast-acting. Such compounds have virtually no latent period. They provoke suffocation and heart rhythm disturbances directly when the poison comes into contact with the mucous membranes or skin.
• Slow action. Negative consequences Intoxication may appear in a person within a few days. Particularly dangerous are enterotoxins, which penetrate into tissues and begin to gradually destroy them. After eliminating the symptoms, the victim is often diagnosed with chronic pathologies of the liver, kidneys and intestines.

When conducting combat operations, the tactics of infecting equipment, uniforms and terrain are used. In these cases, coarse and droplet poisons are used. They retain their toxic properties for several weeks and even months, penetrating deep soil layers and water bodies. The characteristics of toxic substances are based on the ways in which poisons enter the human body:

1. Through open wounds. When using irritating substances, such intoxication is ineffective because the poison is washed out by the blood.
2. Through the respiratory tract. When toxins enter the walls of the larynx and nasopharynx, the substance is instantly absorbed into the bloodstream. Often the liver is excluded from the blood circulation, which allows the poison to easily penetrate all tissues and organs.
3. Through the gastrointestinal tract. Such poisoning most often occurs at home due to careless handling of pesticides and their storage within walking distance of family members. During combat operations this method Intoxication is possible when consuming food and water from contaminated areas.
4. Through the skin or mucous membranes. Irritating compounds easily penetrate these biological barriers. On the surface of the skin they form a primary inflammatory focus, and after entering the body - many secondary ones.

The dangerous properties of many toxic substances include their cumulative nature. Toxic compounds can accumulate in the body for a long time, reducing the functional activity of all vital systems. This condition occurs due to chronic poisoning at home or in industrial production in the absence of proper control. The severity of symptoms in this type of intoxication is mild, which is a provoking factor in the development of numerous pathologies of internal organs, muscles, joints, and bones.

For ease of storage in military conditions, the following types of toxic substances are distinguished:

• Time cards. Toxic compounds are in service, so they are stored in warehouses in quantities established by regulations. As expiration dates expire, sufficient quantities of poisons are produced to replenish required supplies.
• Reserve. If necessary, toxins are produced at enterprises of the military-industrial complex in the required volumes.

IN agriculture Strict records of pesticides and herbicides used are maintained. Before treating fields against pests, the population is notified of upcoming work. As a rule, non-persistent toxins are used to spray cereals during planned events or during a locust invasion.

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Nerve agents

Based on their physiological properties, toxic substances are divided into several groups, and the most numerous are nerve poisons. After even a small amount of toxin penetrates into the bloodstream, significant damage to the central nervous system occurs. TO distinctive features This method of poisoning involves persistent constriction of the pupil.

Sarin

A highly volatile, colorless compound in liquid form that does not have a characteristic odor and does not solidify at low temperatures. It is soluble in water and organic ingredients in various proportions, and has the ability to form a homogeneous mixture with fats.

Sarin does not decompose into its constituent elements when left in water for a long time. After contaminating an area with this poison, the stable toxic effect of the compound persists for two months. The toxic substance penetrates into the body when drinking water from ponds or lakes located in the area.

Sarin is used in a vapor state to eliminate the enemy by contaminating the area during a tactical air raid. The substance easily moves around the area with gusts of wind, is thermolabile - in warm weather it quickly decomposes, and in winter it remains stable for several days.

In addition to defeating enemy personnel, sarin settles on equipment, buildings and uniforms. Therefore, you cannot remove the gas mask, even after leaving the danger zone at a sufficient distance. First, specialists treat the equipment with detoxification solutions and monitor the state of the airspace.

V-ex

A liquid substance with low volatility and virtually odorless. Able to not freeze at sub-zero temperatures and dissolve well in organic compounds . After penetration into the human body, it is absorbed in adipose tissue. When conducting combat operations, coarse aerosols are used, which retain toxic properties in open water bodies for about 5-6 months.

VX affects humans by entering the bloodstream through the respiratory tract or skin. Methods of infection with toxic substances are varied: through contact with military equipment, uniforms, and equipment.

The toxic compound binds red blood cells, causing oxygen starvation of brain cells. There is a disorder in the regulation of all vital systems - breathing is disrupted, the heart rate decreases, and the pulmonary parenchyma swells. In the absence of medical intervention, death is possible within a few minutes after infection.

Soman has a nerve-paralytic effect. His physicochemical characteristics similar to the properties of sarin and VX. It is a colorless or slightly colored liquid with a specific camphor odor. Soman is slightly soluble in water, and quickly forms homogeneous dilutions with organic solvents.

After the penetration of toxic substances through the respiratory tract, a person’s pupils sharply constrict, breathing becomes difficult, saliva and mucus are released abundantly from the nasal cavity. The headache is localized in the temples and does not go away even with the help of antispasmodics for several days.

If neuropsychological substances penetrate the blood through the skin or mucous membranes, then the signs of intoxication are no less pronounced, but appear after a few hours. This route of infection is characterized by the appearance of tremors of the limbs, and then convulsions.

Poisonous substances with blister action

In terms of its effects on the human body, the most dangerous compound for humans is mustard gas.. It is a yellowish or dark brown liquid with a characteristic garlic or mustard odor, forming homogeneous mixtures with organic solvents, but poorly soluble in water. In droplet or aerosol form it infects the surrounding area, ammunition, and military equipment.

Mustard gas contaminates the area for several weeks, and then gradually decomposes into harmless components. With gusts of wind, the poison in the form of vapor is carried over tens of kilometers and becomes a source of spread of toxins.

The poisonous substance affects the human body after penetrating into the bloodstream. A small concentration of poison irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, pharynx, bronchi and bronchioles. In acute intoxication, internal organs, lungs, and muscle tissue are damaged. As the substance accumulates over several hours, blood cells are destroyed and the functional activity of the urinary system decreases.

The mechanism of poisoning develops as follows:

1. When in contact with poison, a person does not feel a burning sensation or pain.
2. An infectious focus quickly forms at the site of contact.
3. After 24 hours, bubbles with liquid contents form on the reddened skin, which merge into a single pathological cavity.
4. The integrity of the cavity is disrupted with the formation of a large ulcer.

The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted - the victim vomits with impurities of fresh blood. If emergency medical care is not provided, death occurs due to cardiac arrest.

General toxic substances

There are many toxic compounds used in warfare. The severity of symptoms is directly dependent on how many classes of compounds are contained in the toxic mixture. The pathogenesis of poisoning is based on disruption of the transfer of molecular oxygen by red blood cells to the cells of all tissues. This type of toxic substances is one of the fastest in terms of time of impact on the human body.

Hydrocyanic acid is a colorless, easily evaporating liquid with a characteristic almond aroma. In addition to its use in warfare, poisoning with this poison can occur in everyday life when consuming the kernels of some fruit trees.

If a toxic compound enters the body by inhaling gas, then after a few hours the victim will develop the following negative signs:

• dry mucous membranes, sore throat, cough;
• extensive swelling of the nasopharynx and nasal cavity;
• decreased visual acuity, redness of the eyes, upper and lower eyelids.

Characteristic features of poisoning include redness of the skin and a metallic taste on the tongue.. A person's death occurs as a result of cardiac arrest.

Asphyxiating agents

Phosgene is the main representative of this class of toxic substances. It is easy to determine that the air contains this poison - it has the smell of rotting hay or rotting apples. The compound, which is slightly soluble in water, quickly decomposes into its constituent ingredients. The toxin penetrates into the human body by inhaling vapors, its damaging effect develops within a few minutes.

A characteristic symptom of phosgene intoxication is a sharp rise in temperature, as well as blue lips. This condition can be confused with signs of a bacterial or viral infection.

When intoxicated with significant concentrations of poison, the following symptoms develop:

1. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the epigastric region.
2. Emotional instability: fear, increased excitability, anxiety, insomnia.
3. Problems with urination, change in urine color, and the appearance of blood clots.
4. Decreased tactile, tendon and muscle reflex.
5. Paralysis of breathing and heart.

For protection you need to use a gas mask; a respirator is useless for this type of poisoning. The person should be taken out of the affected area and the contaminated uniform should be removed. Only urgent administration of an antidote and detoxification therapy can save the victim’s life.