Nerve Agents (Nerve Gas) as Weapons
- Sylvia Rose
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Nerve agents are among the most dangerous substances known. With capacity for mass suffering and death, they disrupt how nerves send signals to vital organs, culminating in full body failure.
Nerve agents are a class of organic chemicals. Best known include Sarin (GB), Soman (GD), Tabun (GA) and VX, 100x more toxic than Sarin. Sarin and VX are odorless. Tabun smells fruity; Soman has a mild camphor odor
Nerve agents are usually colorless and tasteless liquids. They evaporate at varying rates depending on the substance and are not actually gas. They can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or ingested.
Because nerve agents are lethal and easily weaponized, they're classified as weapons of mass destruction and banned under international conventions. The threat of their use remains a serious concern.
The history of nerve agents begins in World War I but their full potential is recognized in later conflicts. Sarin, developed during World War II, has been linked to several episodes.
These include the 1995 Tokyo subway attack by domestic terrorists. 14 people die and over 5,500 are injured. In 2013, Syria massacres civilians with nerve agent sent by rockets into a suburban area, killing hundreds.
Consequences go beyond immediate health impacts. Survivors deal with long-lasting psychological or physical trauma.
How Nerve Agents Work
Nerve agents work by reacting with acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Acetylcholine is integral to bodily functions like muscle movement and heart rate regulation.
When nerve endings release acetylcholine, it binds to receptors on organs, delivering signals to control bodily functions. After release, acetylcholine needs to be broken down to maintain balance in the nervous system.
This is done by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which rapidly degrades acetylcholine and prepares the body for the next signal. It maintains homeostasis throughout the body.
Nerve agents are irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. They bind tightly to the AChE enzyme, blocking its active site. While some inhibitors temporarily bind and release, nerve agents form a strong fusion with AChE.
This prevents AChE from breaking down acetylcholine, causing dangerous build-up of the neurotransmitter in the synapse. Continuous stimulation of nerve receptors leads to a cascade of symptoms.
Symptoms include
Muscle twitching and spasms: The excess acetylcholine causes uncontrolled muscle activity; tremors, convulsions, and ultimately paralysis.
Respiratory failure: Muscles used for breathing, including the diaphragm, become paralyzed. Death is by suffocation.
Increased secretions: Salivary glands, sweat glands, and tear ducts are overstimulated, with excessive salivation (drooling), sweating, and tearing.
Visual disturbance: Pupils constrict severely (miosis) and vision is blurred. Eyes may swell and whites of eyes can be bluish.
Gastrointestinal symptoms: Lips may turn blue. Build-up of acetylcholine affects the digestive system. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps are common.
Loss of consciousness and seizures: Overwhelming stimulation of the nervous system results in unconsciousness, seizures and death.
Speed and severity of these symptoms depend on the nerve agent involved and the level of exposure. Symptoms can appear within minutes.
The medication atropine blocks effects of acetylcholine, and pralidoxime (2-PAM) can sometimes reactivate the inhibited AChE enzyme, especially administered right after exposure.
The threat of nerve agents complicates global security. Their ability to cause widespread casualties makes them attractive to terror organizations, especially in unstable regions.
Countries worldwide have signed treaties, like the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997, banning chemical weapon production and use. Enforcing regulations is difficult. For example it takes the US until 2023 to get rid of its declared arsenal of chemical weapons.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has 193 member states. Only four countries are not members: Israel, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan.
Many states and non-state parties are thought to hold stockpiles of chemical weapons. Identification is difficult due to the covert nature of these programs. It's easier to create chemical or biological weapons in a lab than to build and hide nuclear weapons anywhere.
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