How is sarin gas used

Here's a look at how it works and how exposure to Sarin is treated. It was developed in by German researchers at IG Farben for use as a pesticide. The production and stockpiling of sarin was forbidden by the Chemical Weapons Convention of Pure Sarin is colorless, odorless, and has no flavor. It is heavier than air, so Sarin vapor sinks into low-lying areas or toward the bottom of a room.

The chemical evaporates in air and mixes readily with water. Clothing absorbs Sarin and its mixtures, which can spread exposure if contaminated clothing is not contained.

It's important to understand you can survive a low concentration of Sarin exposure as long as you don't panic and do seek medical attention. If you survive initial exposure, you may have several minutes to several hours to reverse the effects. At the same time, don't assume you are in the clear just because you survived initial exposure. Because effects may be delayed, it's important to get medical attention. Sarin is a nerve agent, which means it interferes with the normal signaling between nerve cells.

It acts in much the same way as organophosphate insecticides, block nerve endings from allowing muscles to stop contracting. Death may occur when the muscles controlling breathing become ineffective, causing asphyxiation. Sarin acts by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase.

Ordinarily, this protein degrades acetylcholine released at the synaptic cleft. The acetylcholine activates nerve fibers that cause muscles to contract. If the neurotransmitter is not removed, the muscles don't relax. How people can be exposed to sarin Following release of sarin into the air, people can be exposed through skin contact or eye contact.

They also can be exposed by breathing air that contains sarin. Sarin mixes easily with water. Following release of sarin into water, people can be exposed by touching or drinking water that contains sarin. Following contamination of food with sarin, people can be exposed by eating the contaminated food. Because sarin vapor is heavier than air, it will sink to low-lying areas and create a greater exposure hazard there.

How sarin works The extent of poisoning caused by sarin depends on the amount of sarin to which a person was exposed, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure. Symptoms likely will appear within a few seconds after exposure to the vapor form of sarin and within a few minutes to hours after exposure to the liquid form.

Exposed people may become tired and no longer be able to keep breathing. Sarin is the most volatile of the nerve agents. This means it can easily and quickly evaporate from a liquid into a vapor and spread into the environment. People can be exposed to the vapor even if they do not come in contact with the liquid form of sarin. Because it evaporates so quickly, sarin presents an immediate but short-lived threat. Immediate signs and symptoms of sarin exposure People may not know that they were exposed because sarin has no odor.

Exposure to large doses of sarin by any route may result in the following harmful health effects: Loss of consciousness Convulsions Paralysis Respiratory failure possibly leading to death Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to sarin.

What the long-term health effects are Mildly exposed people usually recover completely. How people can protect themselves, and what they should do if they are exposed to sarin Recovery from sarin exposure is possible with treatment, but to be effective, the antidotes available must be used quickly.

Therefore, the best thing to do is avoid exposure: Leave the area where the sarin was released and get to fresh air. Quickly moving to an area where fresh air is available is highly effective in reducing the possibility of death from exposure to sarin vapor.

If the sarin release was outdoors, move away from the area where the sarin was released. Go to the highest ground possible, because sarin is heavier than air and will sink to low-lying areas. If the sarin release was indoors, get out of the building. By Kate Samuelson. Related Stories. Read President Wilson's Address on the U. Entering World War I. Already a print subscriber?

Go here to link your subscription. Need help? In late , the German scientist Gerhard Schrader was tasked with inventing a cheaper pesticide to kill the weevils that were damaging German fields and orchards. By mixing phosphorus with cyanide, he came up with a substance that was way too toxic to use for agriculture purposes. Back in the lab, Schrader tinkered some more and came up with something even more toxic. He called the new substance sarin, an acronym for the names of the four scientists who developed it.

Adolf Hitler reviewing troops at a Nazi rally. By the end of World War II, Nazi Germany had produced some 12, tons of the deadly chemical compound, enough to kill millions of people.