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Nerve agent: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Nerve agent.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Nerve agents are highly toxic to humans, and can induce paralysis in many cases, as seen in this picture.]] | [[File:Nerve agent.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Nerve agents are highly toxic to humans, and can induce paralysis in many cases, as seen in this picture.]] | ||
Nerve agents serve as organophosphorous cholinesterase inhibitors in humans. This complicated term means that nerve agents are organic compounds that contain phosphorous, display neurotoxic characteristics and block enzymes located in the heart, brain, and blood from performing hydrolysis. <ref>cholinesterase.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref><ref>organophosphorous.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref> | Nerve agents serve as organophosphorous cholinesterase inhibitors in humans. This complicated term means that nerve agents are organic compounds that contain phosphorous, display neurotoxic characteristics and block enzymes located in the heart, brain, and blood from performing hydrolysis. <ref>cholinesterase.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref><ref>organophosphorous.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref> | ||
Once a nerve agent blocks a tissue enzyme, the enzyme looses the ability to hydrolyze acetylcholine, an ester that allows muscles to move by "transmitting nerve impulses across synapses."<ref>acetylcholine.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref> This process causes the victim of the nerve agent partial to total paralysis, depending on the dose and method of exposure. Sarin, otherwise known as GB, is the nerve agent with the most known effects. If a human is exposed to a small dose of GB vapor, immediate effects will take place within the airways, eyes, and nose. Contact with lethal amounts of GB in both vapor and liquid form produce much more debilitating effects, such as loss of consciousness, convulsions, lack of breathing, loss of control over muscles, and death. | Once a nerve agent blocks a tissue enzyme, the enzyme looses the ability to hydrolyze acetylcholine, an ester that allows muscles to move by "transmitting nerve impulses across synapses."<ref>acetylcholine.dictionary.reference.com. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref> This process causes the victim of the nerve agent partial to total paralysis, depending on the dose and method of exposure. Sarin, otherwise known as GB, is the nerve agent with the most known effects. If a human is exposed to a small dose of GB vapor, immediate effects will take place within the airways, eyes, and nose. Contact with lethal amounts of GB in both vapor and liquid form produce much more debilitating effects, such as loss of consciousness, convulsions, lack of breathing, loss of control over muscles, and death. | ||
One of the first signs of exposure to nerve agents is miosis of the eye, which is the contracting of the pupil. A sharp or dull pain around the eyes or front of the head, dimness or blurriness in vision, nausea, inflammation of the conjunctiva, and occasionally vomiting take place shortly after exposure. A sure sign of the presence of nerve agents in the air is rhinorrhea, which many refer to as a "runny nose." The strength of the rhinorrhea is directly proportional to the dose of the nerve agent. | |||
<ref>Nerve Agents.fas.org. Web. Accessed May 20, 2013.Unknown Author</ref> | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
