For those who are afraid of a chemical-type attack (very long)
Subject: Rather Lengthy..but a refreshing read
A Soldier's Viewpoint on Surviving Nuclear, Chemical and Biological
Attacks
From: SFC Red Thomas (Ret) Armor Master Gunner Mesa, AZ
Unlimited reproduction and distribution is authorized. Just give me
credit for my work, and, keep in context. Since the media has decided to
scare everyone with predictions of chemical, biological, or nuclear
warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and keep things in their
proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons, munitions, and
training expert. Lesson number one: In the mid 1990s there were a series
of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect
conditions for an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured
(the injured were better in a few hours) and only one percent of the
injured died. 60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of
nerve gas could kill a thousand people, well he didn't tell you the
thousand dead people per drop was theoretical.
Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep the
recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant
too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read
in a novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again
out loud!). These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will
probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their
'Experts,' make it sound. Chemical Weapons Chemical weapons are
categorized as nerve, blood, blister, and Incapacitating agents.
Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they are not weapons
of mass destruction they are 'area denial,' and terror weapons that
don't destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always leave
the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk but
soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why they
need all that spiffy gear. These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or
air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity
to kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used.
Every day we have a morning and evening inversion where 'stuff,'
suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion is why allergies
(pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the day. So, a
chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of so either side of
sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and airborne particles they are
heavier than air so they will seek low places like ditches, basements
and underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's freezing, it
doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin too fast.
They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it for it to
work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high enough
to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's
wasted.
What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a chemical weapons
attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military
grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for
terrorists. The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how
hard it is to use.
We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house,
plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. All nerve agents work
the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the
signals your nervous system uses to make your body function. It can harm
you if you get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to
inhale it. If you don't die in the first minute and you can leave the
area you're probably gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve
agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does
anything to cure the nerve agent, they send your body into overdrive to
keep you alive for five minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your
best protection is fresh air and staying calm.
Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning: Sudden
headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have
pinpointed pupils), runny nose, excessive saliva or drooling, difficulty
breathing, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach cramps, twitching of
exposed skin where a liquid just got on you. If you are in public and
you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask yourself, did anything
out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone spray something
on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too? Is there an odor of new
mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor where it shouldn't
be?
If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe faster and
inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside.
Fresh air is the best 'right now antidote.' If you have a blob of liquid
that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or scrape it off
and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff works based
on your body weight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you
unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the
residue off the ground for a while. Remember they have to do all the
work, they have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several
minutes while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit
breathing it by putting space between you and the attack.
Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to
provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same
as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something
and folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells
are bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are
blue lips, blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's
antidote is amyl nitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just
keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up.
Fresh air is the your best individual chance.
Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to
even handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely
and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is
also limited to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get
large, painful blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them, if you
must, don't let the liquid from the blister get on any other area, the
stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as
the target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you,
to heard you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the
area and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get
the stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk
driver on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds
get better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air
really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated
attack rule your life. The odds are really on your side.
Nuclear Weapons Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass
destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast,
EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash of light like the sun,
where the sun isn't, fall to
A Soldier's Viewpoint on Surviving Nuclear, Chemical and Biological
Attacks
From: SFC Red Thomas (Ret) Armor Master Gunner Mesa, AZ
Unlimited reproduction and distribution is authorized. Just give me
credit for my work, and, keep in context. Since the media has decided to
scare everyone with predictions of chemical, biological, or nuclear
warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and keep things in their
proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons, munitions, and
training expert. Lesson number one: In the mid 1990s there were a series
of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect
conditions for an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured
(the injured were better in a few hours) and only one percent of the
injured died. 60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of
nerve gas could kill a thousand people, well he didn't tell you the
thousand dead people per drop was theoretical.
Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep the
recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant
too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read
in a novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again
out loud!). These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will
probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their
'Experts,' make it sound. Chemical Weapons Chemical weapons are
categorized as nerve, blood, blister, and Incapacitating agents.
Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they are not weapons
of mass destruction they are 'area denial,' and terror weapons that
don't destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always leave
the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk but
soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why they
need all that spiffy gear. These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or
air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity
to kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used.
Every day we have a morning and evening inversion where 'stuff,'
suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion is why allergies
(pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the day. So, a
chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of so either side of
sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and airborne particles they are
heavier than air so they will seek low places like ditches, basements
and underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's freezing, it
doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin too fast.
They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it for it to
work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high enough
to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's
wasted.
What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a chemical weapons
attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military
grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for
terrorists. The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how
hard it is to use.
We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house,
plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. All nerve agents work
the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the
signals your nervous system uses to make your body function. It can harm
you if you get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to
inhale it. If you don't die in the first minute and you can leave the
area you're probably gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve
agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does
anything to cure the nerve agent, they send your body into overdrive to
keep you alive for five minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your
best protection is fresh air and staying calm.
Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning: Sudden
headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have
pinpointed pupils), runny nose, excessive saliva or drooling, difficulty
breathing, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach cramps, twitching of
exposed skin where a liquid just got on you. If you are in public and
you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask yourself, did anything
out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone spray something
on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too? Is there an odor of new
mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor where it shouldn't
be?
If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe faster and
inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside.
Fresh air is the best 'right now antidote.' If you have a blob of liquid
that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or scrape it off
and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff works based
on your body weight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you
unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the
residue off the ground for a while. Remember they have to do all the
work, they have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several
minutes while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit
breathing it by putting space between you and the attack.
Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to
provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same
as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something
and folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells
are bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are
blue lips, blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's
antidote is amyl nitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just
keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up.
Fresh air is the your best individual chance.
Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to
even handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely
and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is
also limited to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get
large, painful blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them, if you
must, don't let the liquid from the blister get on any other area, the
stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as
the target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you,
to heard you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the
area and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get
the stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk
driver on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds
get better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air
really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated
attack rule your life. The odds are really on your side.
Nuclear Weapons Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass
destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast,
EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash of light like the sun,
where the sun isn't, fall to
