Chemical warfare agents

被引:251
作者
Chauhan, S. [1 ,2 ]
Chauhan, S. [1 ,2 ]
D'Cruz, R. [6 ]
Faruqi, S. [3 ]
Singh, K. K. [4 ]
Varma, S. [5 ]
Singh, M. [2 ]
Karthik, V. [5 ]
机构
[1] Govt Med Coll & Hosp, Dept Med, Chandigarh 160030, India
[2] Panjab Univ, Dept Chem Engn, Chandigarh 160014, India
[3] Pinderfields Gen Hosp, Dept Resp Med, Wakefield WF1 4DG, England
[4] Army Hosp Res & Referral, Dept Neurol, New Delhi, India
[5] Postgrad Inst Med Educ & Res, Dept Internal Med, Chandigarh 160012, India
[6] MDC, City Clin, Panchkula 134109, Haryana, India
关键词
blister agents; nerve agents; asphyxiants; choking agents;
D O I
10.1016/j.etap.2008.03.003
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
Chemical warfare agents (CWA's) are defined as any chemical substance whose toxic properties are Utilised to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy in warfare and associated military operations. Chemical agents have been Used in war since times immemorial, but their use reached a peak during World War I. During World War II only the Germans used them in the infamous gas chambers. Since then these have been intermittently used both in war and acts of terrorisms. Many countries have stockpiles of these agents. There has been a legislative effort worldwide to ban the use of CWA'S under the chemical weapons convention which came into force in 1997. However the manufacture of these agents cannot be completely prohibited as some of them have potential industrial uses. Moreover despite the remedial measures taken so far and worldwide condemnation, the ease of manufacturing these agents and effectiveness during combat or small scale terrorist operations still make them a powerful weapon to reckon with. These agents are classified according to mechanism of toxicity ill humans into blister agents, nerve agents, asphyxiants, choking agents and incapacitating/behavior altering agents. Some of these agents can be as devastating as a nuclear bomb. In addition to immediate injuries Caused by chemical agents, some of them are associated with long term morbidities and psychological problems. In this review we will discuss briefly about the historical background, properties, manufacture techniques and industrial uses. mechanism of toxicity, clinical features of exposure and pharmacological management of casualties caused by chemical agents. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
引用
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页码:113 / 122
页数:10
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