WAR POISON SUBSTANCES(former name - "combat gases", "suffocating agents"), artificial chemical products used in war to destroy living targets - humans and animals. Poisonous substances are the active principle of the so-called. chemical weapons and serve directly to inflict damage. The concept of toxic substances includes such chemical compounds that, if properly used, are capable of incapacitating an unprotected fighter by poisoning him. Poisoning here refers to any disturbance of the normal functioning of the body - from temporary irritation of the eyes or respiratory tract to long-term illness or death.

Story . April 22, 1915 is considered the beginning of the combat use of poisonous substances, when the Germans launched the first chlorine gas attack against the British. Since the middle of 1915, chemical projectiles with various toxic substances were widely used in the war. At the end of 1915, chloropicrin began to be used in the Russian army. In February 1916, the French introduced phosgene into combat practice. In July 1917, mustard gas (a blistering poisonous substance) was used in the German army in combat operations, and in September 1917 arsines were introduced into it (see Combat arsines) - arsenic-containing poisonous substances used in the form of poisonous smoke and fog. The total number of various poisonous substances used in the world war reached 70. At present, the armies of almost all countries have various types of poisonous substances in service, which will undoubtedly be used in future military clashes. Further research on the improvement of production methods and the use of already known poisonous substances is being carried out in all major states.

Combat use of poisonous substances carried out by introducing them into the atmosphere in the form of vapors, smoke or fog, or by applying toxic substances to the surface of the soil and local objects. The most convenient and commonly used medium for introducing toxic substances into the body is air; in certain cases, this role can be played by soil, water, vegetation, foodstuffs and all artificial structures and objects. To defeat through the air requires the creation of a certain "combat" concentration of poisonous substances, calculated in units of weight (mg per liter of air) or volumetric (% or ‰). When soil is contaminated, a certain "density of infection" is required, calculated in grams of toxic substances per m 2 of surface. To bring toxic substances into an active state and to transfer them by the attacking side to the objects of attack, special mechanical devices are used, which make up material part chemical attack techniques.

During the World War, poisonous substances were used in the following methods of chemical attack: 1) gas balloon attack, i.e., the release of a gaseous poisonous substance from special cylinders, carried to the enemy by the wind in the form of a poisoned air wave; 2) firing of field artillery with chemical projectiles containing poisonous substances and an explosive charge; 3) firing chemical mines from ordinary or special mortars (gas throwers) and 4) throwing hand and rifle chemical grenades. At present, the following methods have been developed: 5) burning special candles that produce poisonous smoke when burned; 6) direct contamination of the area with toxic substances by means of ground (portable) vehicles; 7) bombardment from aircraft with aerochemical bombs; and 8) direct spraying or spraying of poisonous substances from aircraft over the surface of the earth.

Poisonous substances as a weapon has a massive damaging effect. The main difference from mechanical weapons is that the very damaging effect of poisonous substances is chemical, based on the interaction of a poisonous substance with the tissues of a living organism, and causes a certain combat effect as a result of a known chemical process. The action of various poisonous substances is extremely diverse: it can vary widely and take the most diverse forms; the defeat usually captures a huge number of living cells (general poisoning of the body). Other features of poisonous substances as weapons are: a) high fragmentation of the substance at the time of action (up to individual molecules, about 10 -8 cm in size, or smoke and fog particles, 10 -4 -10 -7 cm in size), due to which a continuous zone is created defeat; b) the ability to spread in all directions and penetrate with air through small holes; c) the duration of action (from several minutes to several weeks); and d) for some poisonous substances, the ability to act slowly (not immediately) or gradually and imperceptibly accumulate in the body until life-threatening quantities are formed (“cumulation” of poisonous substances).

Requirements for poisonous substances, are put by tactics, military equipment and supply agencies. They boil down mainly to the following conditions: 1) high toxicity (the degree of poisoning effect), i.e., the ability of poisonous substances to incapacitate in low concentrations and with a short action, 2) the difficulty of protection for the enemy, 3) ease of use for the attacking side , 4) convenience of storage and transport, 5) availability of manufacturing in large quantities and low cost. Requirement (5) implies the need to closely link the production of poisonous substances with the peaceful chemical industry of the country. Satisfaction of all these requirements is achieved by proper selection of the physical, chemical and toxic properties of poisonous substances, as well as by improving the methods of their manufacture and use.

Tactical characteristics of poisonous substances. Poisonous substances that are difficult to fly and possess high chemical strength are called persistent (for example, mustard gas). Such toxic substances are capable of exerting a long-term damaging effect in the place where they were released from the shell; therefore, they are suitable for pre-infection of areas of the area in order to make them inaccessible or impassable (gas locks). On the contrary, highly volatile or rapidly decomposing toxic substances are classified as unstable, short-acting. The latter also include toxic substances used in the form of smoke.

The chemical composition of poisonous substances. Almost all poisonous substances, with few exceptions, are organic, i.e., carbonaceous, compounds. The composition of various toxic substances known so far included only the following 9 elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, bromine, iodine, nitrogen, sulfur and arsenic. Among the poisonous substances used were representatives of the following classes of chemical compounds: 1) inorganic - free halides and acid chlorides; 2) organic - halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers (simple and complex), ketones, mercaptans and sulfides, organic acid chlorides, unsaturated aldehydes, nitro compounds, cyanide compounds, arsines, etc. The chemical composition and structure of the molecule of poisonous substances determine all their other properties, important in combat.

Nomenclature. To designate poisonous substances, either their rational chemical names (chlorine, bromoacetone, diphenylchlorarsine, etc.), or special military terms (mustard gas, lewisite, surpalite), or, finally, conditional ciphers (D. M., K., yellow cross). Conditional terms were also used for mixtures of poisonous substances (martonite, palite, vincennite). During the war, poisonous substances were usually encrypted to keep their composition secret.

Individual representatives The most important chemical agents used in the World War or described in the post-war literature are listed in the attached table along with their most important properties.

Physical properties of toxic substances, affecting their combat suitability: 1) vapor pressure, which should be. significant at ordinary temperatures, 2) evaporation rate or volatility (high for unstable poisons and low for resistant ones), 3) volatility limit (maximum achievable concentration), 4) boiling point (low for unstable poisons and high for persistent ones), 5 ) melting point, 6) state of aggregation at ordinary temperature (gases, liquids, solids), 7) critical temperature, 8) heat of vaporization, 9) specific gravity in liquid or solid state, 10) vapor density of toxic substances (d. b greater than the density of air), 11) solubility (ch. arr. in water and substances of the animal organism), 12) the ability to be adsorbed (absorbed) by anti-gas coal (see Activated carbon), 13) the color of toxic substances and some other properties.

Chemical properties of toxic substances entirely dependent on their composition and structure. From a military point of view, the following are of interest: 1) the chemical interaction of poisonous substances with substances and tissues of an animal organism, which determines the nature and degree of toxicity of poisonous substances and is the cause of their damaging effect; 2) the ratio of toxic substances to water (ability to be decomposed by water - hydrolysis); 3) relation to atmospheric oxygen (oxidizability); 4) attitude towards metals (corrosive effect on shells, weapons, mechanisms, etc.); 5) the possibility of neutralizing poisonous substances with available chemicals; 6) the possibility of recognizing poisonous substances with the help of chemical reagents; and 7) the smell of poisonous substances, which also depends on the chemical nature of the substances.

Toxic properties of toxic substances. The variety of toxic effects of poisonous substances is determined by the diversity of their composition and structure. Substances that are close in chemical nature act in a similar way. Carriers of toxic properties in the molecule of a poisonous substance are certain atoms or groups of atoms - "toxophores" (CO, S, SO 2, CN, As, etc.), and the degree of action and its shades are determined by the accompanying groups - "auxotoxes". The degree of toxicity, or the strength of the action of toxic substances, is determined by the minimum damaging concentration and duration of action (exposure): it is the higher, the smaller these two values. The nature of toxicity is determined by the routes of penetration of toxic substances into the body and the predominant effect on certain organs of the body. According to the nature of the action, toxic substances are often divided into asphyxiating (affecting the respiratory tract), lachrymal ("lachrymators"), poisonous (acting on the blood or nervous system), abscesses (acting on the skin), irritating or "sneezing" (acting on the mucous membranes of the nose and upper respiratory tract), etc.; the characteristic is given according to the "predominant" effect, since the effect of toxic substances on the body is very complex. Combat concentrations of various toxic substances vary from a few mg to ten-thousandths of a mg per liter of air. Some poisonous substances cause fatal injuries when introduced into the body in doses of about 1 mg or even less.

Production of poisonous substances requires the presence in the country of large reserves of affordable and cheap raw materials and a developed chemical industry. Most often, for the production of toxic substances, the equipment and personnel of existing chemical plants for peaceful purposes are used; sometimes special installations are also built (Edgwood chemical arsenal in the USA). The peaceful chemical industry has raw materials in common with the production of poisonous substances, or it produces ready-made semi-finished products. The main branches of the chemical industry, which provide material for poisonous substances, are: the electrolysis of common salt, coke-benzene and wood-acetomethyl production, the production of bound nitrogen, arsenic compounds, sulfur, distillery, etc. Artificial paint factories were usually adapted for the production of poisonous substances.

Determination of poisonous substances can be done in the laboratory or in the field. The laboratory definition represents the precise or simplified chemical analysis of poisonous substances by conventional methods of analytical chemistry. Field determination aims to: 1) detect the presence of poisonous substances in air, water or soil, 2) establish the chemical nature of the applied poisonous substance and 3) determine its concentration, if possible. The 1st and 2nd tasks are resolved simultaneously with the help of special chemical reagents - "indicators" that change their color or release a precipitate in the presence of a certain poisonous substance. For colorful reactions, liquid solutions or papers impregnated with such solutions are used; for sedimentary reactions - only liquids. Reagent d. b. specific, sensitive, acting quickly and sharply, not changing during storage; use of it d. b. simple. The 3rd task is in rare cases solvable in the field; for this, special devices are used - gas detectors, based on known chemical reactions and allowing, by the degree of color change or by the amount of precipitation, to approximately judge the concentration of toxic substances. The detection of poisonous substances using physical methods (changes in the diffusion rate) or physicochemical methods (changes in electrical conductivity as a result of the hydrolysis of poisonous substances), which has been proposed many times, turned out to be very unreliable in practice.

Protection against toxic substances can be individual and collective (or mass). The first is achieved by the use of gas masks that isolate the respiratory tract from the surrounding air or purify the inhaled air from the admixture of toxic substances, as well as special insulating clothing. The means of collective protection include gas shelters; to measures of mass protection - degassing, used mainly for persistent poisonous substances and consisting in the neutralization of poisonous substances directly on the ground or on objects with the help of "neutralizing" chemical materials. In general, all methods of protection against poisonous substances come down either to the creation of impenetrable partitions (mask, clothing), or to filtering the air used for breathing (filtering gas mask, gas shelter), or to such a process that would destroy poisonous substances (degassing).

Peaceful use of poisonous substances. Some poisonous substances (chlorine, phosgene) are starting materials for various branches of the peaceful chemical industry. Others (chloropicrin, hydrocyanic acid, chlorine) are used in the fight against pests of plants and bakery products - fungi, insects and rodents. Chlorine is also used for bleaching, for sterilizing water and food. Some poisonous substances are used for preservative impregnation of wood, in the gold industry, as solvents, etc. There are attempts to use poisonous substances in medicine for medicinal purposes. However, most poisonous substances, the most valuable in combat terms, have no peaceful use.

poisonous substances(OV), toxic chemical compounds designed to defeat enemy personnel during hostilities. OM can enter the body through the respiratory system, skin, mucous membranes and the digestive tract. OVs also have a damaging effect when they enter a wound or burn surface. These substances have a certain set of physical and chemical properties, due to which they are in a vaporous, liquid or aerosol state in a combat situation. The production of organic matter is based on simple methods of obtaining from available and cheap raw materials.

For tactical purposes OVs are divided into groups according to the nature of their damaging effect:

deadly;

temporarily incapacitating manpower;

irritating.

By speed of advance damaging effects are distinguished:

· high-speed agents that do not have a period of latent action;

Slow-acting agents with a period of latent action.

Depending on the duration of the retention of striking ability Lethal agents are divided into two groups:

persistent agents that retain their damaging effect for several hours and days;

· unstable agents, the damaging effect of which persists for several tens of minutes after their application.

According to the physiological effects of OM on the body, there are:

· Nerve agents, which are also called organophosphorus agents, since their molecules contain phosphorus; (V-gases, sarin, soman)

skin blister; (mustard gas, lewisite)

general toxic action; (cyanogen chloride, hydrocyanic acid)

suffocating; (phosgene, diphosgene)

psychotropic (incapacitants);

DLC-lysergic acid diethylamite

irritants (irritants). chloroacetophenone, adamsite

poisonous substances nerve agent . According to the chemical structure, all substances of this group are organic compounds, derivatives of phosphorus acids. FOS cause damage by entering the body in various ways: through the skin, wound, mucous membranes of the eyes, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract. The main combat agents - sarin, soman, V-gases - dissolve well in fats, organic solvents (dichloroethane, gasoline, alcohol), and are easily resorbed through the skin.

Sarin- a colorless volatile liquid, with a boiling point of about 150˚ C, easily soluble in water and organic solvents. Persistence on the ground in summer from several minutes to 4 hours, in winter - from several hours to several days.

Soman- a transparent liquid with a boiling point of 85˚ C, vapors six times heavier than air, with a camphor smell, poorly soluble in water, well - in all organic solvents, other characteristics are the same as sarin.

V - gases (phosphorylcholines)- colorless liquids with a boiling point above 300˚ C, poorly soluble in water, good - in organic solvents, surpass sarin and soman in toxicity, especially when it comes into contact with the skin. Persistence on the ground in summer from several hours to several weeks, in winter - from 1 to 16 weeks.

The mechanism of action of FOS is complex and poorly understood. They inhibit many enzymes (cholinesterases) of the body, contribute to the accumulation of acetylcholine in the tissues, which causes excitation, a deep dysfunction of many organs and systems.

Signs of damage are profuse salivation, nasal discharge, constriction of the pupils (meiosis), suffocation, stomach cramps, paralysis, and death is possible.

Urgent care in the lesion focus is in the order of self- and mutual assistance:

Putting on a gas mask;

The use of antidotes (athens, atropine with a syringe-

tube or taren tablets);

Treatment of infected skin areas and uniforms from

individual anti-chemical package IPP-8;

Removal outside the source of infection. If necessary -

reintroduction of the antidote.

First aid to the seriously affected consists in the repeated administration of antidotes; when breathing stops - in the conduct of mechanical ventilation; subcutaneous injection of cordiamine; additional degassing of open skin areas and uniforms adjacent to them.

Poisonous substances of blistering action . The poisonous substances of the blistering action include lewisite and mustard gas: pure, sulphurous, nitrogenous, oxygen. A characteristic feature of the effect on the body is the ability to cause local inflammatory-necrotic changes in the skin and mucous membranes in combination with a pronounced resorptive effect (after absorption), therefore they are often called skin-resorptive agents.

Mustard gas(as a technical product) - dark brown oily liquid with the smell of mustard or garlic, heavier than water, vapors heavier than air, boiling point 217˚ C; dissolves well in organic solvents, fats, oils, is destroyed by alkalis and chlorine-containing preparations; toxic in vapor, aerosol and droplet state. Persistence on the ground in summer up to 1.5 days, in winter - more than a week. It is able to penetrate the body in any way: through the respiratory organs, intact skin, wound and burn surface, gastrointestinal tract.

Mustard gas affects all organs and tissues with which it comes into contact, causing local inflammatory-necrotic lesions, and in any way it enters the body, it has a general toxic effect in the form of CNS damage, hematopoiesis suppression, circulatory disorders, digestion, thermoregulation of all types of metabolism, immunity etc.

Skin lesions occur under the action of mustard gas in a vapor or liquid state and depend on the temperature and humidity of the air, the area of ​​the infected skin surface and its moisture content, and the time of exposure. The most sensitive places with delicate skin, a high content of sweat ducts (groin, armpits, inner thighs) and tight fitting clothing (belt, collar). The duration of the latent period in the case of the action of vaporous mustard gas is from 5 to 15 hours, liquid - up to 2 - 4 hours.

With the defeat of vaporous mustard gas, only the development of erythema (redness) that occurs on sensitive areas of the skin can be observed. Such erythema is painless, may be accompanied by itching, especially when warming and at night. The prognosis is favorable - by 7-10 days all phenomena disappear, pigmentation can persist for a long time.

The defeat of drip-liquid mustard gas occurs in a more severe form. Against the background of mustard erythema, after 8-12 hours, small blisters appear, often located along the border of redness (“mustard gas necklace”). Then they increase in size, merge, which is accompanied by itching, burning and pain. After the 4th day, the blisters subside with the formation of a slowly healing ulcer and the frequent addition of a secondary purulent infection.

Symptoms of eye damage appear after 30 minutes - 3 hours in the form of photophobia, cramps, lacrimation, redness of the mucosa and slight swelling. The phenomena of uncomplicated conjunctivitis pass without a trace after 1-2 weeks.

At a higher concentration of mustard gas vapors, lesions of moderate severity occur, characterized by more pronounced symptoms with the spread of the process to the skin of the eyelids (blepharitis). The duration of the lesion is 20-30 days, the prognosis is favorable.

In case of damage by drop-liquid mustard gas, the cornea is involved in the process - keratitis develops with the formation of ulcers, clouding of the cornea and a decrease in visual acuity, eye death is possible. The course is long - 4 - 6 months.

Respiratory damage occurs during inhalation of mustard gas vapors and the severity depends on the concentration of agents and the duration of stay in the contaminated area.

With mild lesions, the latent period is more than 12 hours. Then there are signs of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract: runny nose, chest pain, hoarseness or loss of voice. Symptoms go away after 10 to 12 days.

A moderate lesion is characterized by an earlier onset (after 6 hours) and a more rapid development of the symptoms described above. On the 2nd day, worsening occurs, chest pain and cough increase, purulent sputum appears, wheezing, the temperature rises to 38-39º C - tracheobronchitis develops. The dead mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi can be torn off and cause various complications. Recovery occurs in 30 - 40 days.

With a severe lesion, the latent period is shortened to 2 hours. The condition of the affected people deteriorates sharply, shortness of breath increases, cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes appears, coughing intensifies, and on the third day mustard pneumonia develops with a protracted course, which is explained by a decrease in immunity. When inhaling especially high concentrations of mustard gas vapors or aspiration of drop-liquid mustard gas, necrotic pneumonia develops on the first day with hemoptysis, respiratory failure, an extremely serious condition and an unfavorable prognosis (with widespread necrosis - death).

The defeat of the gastrointestinal tract is observed when using mustard-contaminated products or water. Death occurs when 50 mg of mustard gas is ingested. The hidden period is short - from 30 minutes to 1 hour. There are severe pains in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, loose stools. They are joined by signs of a general toxic effect, which, along with the depth of local changes, determine the further course.

The resorptive effect is manifested in an increase in body temperature, the appearance of adynamia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a violation of the pulse rate, a decrease in blood pressure, the development of cardiovascular insufficiency, and blood changes.

Lewisite- oily liquid with the smell of geranium leaves, boiling point 190º C, slightly soluble in water, well - in organic solvents, fats, oils; enters the body in any way. Durability in summer - hours, in winter - up to 3 days. Skin-resorptive toxicity is three times higher than mustard gas; mixes with many agents and dissolves them itself. It is neutralized by solutions of caustic alkalis, bleach and other oxidizing agents.

Chemical weapon is one of the types. Its damaging effect is based on the use of military toxic chemicals, which include toxic substances (OS) and toxins that have a damaging effect on the human and animal body, as well as phytotoxicants used for military purposes to destroy vegetation.

Poisonous substances, their classification

poisonous substances- these are chemical compounds that have certain toxic and physico-chemical properties, which ensure, when they are used in combat, the defeat of manpower (people), as well as the contamination of air, clothing, equipment and terrain.

Poisonous substances form the basis of chemical weapons. They are stuffed with shells, mines, missile warheads, aerial bombs, pouring aircraft devices, smoke bombs, grenades and other chemical munitions and devices. Poisonous substances affect the body, penetrating through the respiratory system, skin and wounds. In addition, lesions can occur as a result of the consumption of contaminated food and water.

Modern toxic substances are classified according to the physiological effect on the body, toxicity (severity of damage), speed and durability.

By physiological action toxic substances on the body are divided into six groups:

• nerve agents (also called organophosphates): sarin, soman, vegas (VX);
• blistering action: mustard gas, lewisite;
• general toxic action: hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride;
• suffocating action: phosgene, diphosgene;
• psychochemical action: Bi-zet (BZ), LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide);
• irritant: si-es (CS), adamsite, chloroacetophenone.

By toxicity(severity of damage) modern toxic substances are divided into lethal and temporarily incapacitating. Lethal toxic substances include all substances of the first four listed groups. Temporarily incapacitating substances include the fifth and sixth groups of physiological classification.

By speed poisonous substances are divided into fast-acting and slow-acting. Fast-acting agents include sarin, soman, hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride, ci-es, and chloroacetophenone. These substances do not have a period of latent action and in a few minutes lead to death or disability (combat capability). Substances of delayed action include vi-gases, mustard gas, lewisite, phosgene, bi-zet. These substances have a period of latent action and lead to damage after some time.

Depending on the resistance of damaging properties After application, toxic substances are divided into persistent and unstable. Persistent toxic substances retain their damaging effect from several hours to several days from the moment of application: these are vi-gases, soman, mustard gas, bi-zet. Unstable toxic substances retain their damaging effect for several tens of minutes: these are hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride, phosgene.

Toxins as a damaging factor of chemical weapons

toxins- These are chemical substances of protein nature of plant, animal or microbial origin, which are highly toxic. Characteristic representatives of this group are butulic toxin - one of the strongest deadly poisons, which is a waste product of bacteria, staphylococcal entsrotoxin, ricin - a toxin of plant origin.

The damaging factor of chemical weapons is the toxic effect on the human and animal body, the quantitative characteristics are the concentration and toxodose.

To defeat various types of vegetation, toxic chemicals - phytotoxicants are intended. For peaceful purposes, they are used mainly in agriculture to control weeds, remove leaves of vegetation in order to accelerate the ripening of fruits and facilitate harvesting (for example, cotton). Depending on the nature of the impact on plants and the intended purpose, phytotoxicants are divided into herbicides, arboricides, alicides, defoliants and desiccants. Herbicides are intended for the destruction of herbaceous vegetation, arboricides - tree and shrub vegetation, algicides - aquatic vegetation. Defoliants are used to remove leaves from vegetation, while desiccants attack vegetation by drying it out.

When chemical weapons are used, just as in an accident with the release of OH B, zones of chemical contamination and foci of chemical damage will be formed (Fig. 1). The zone of chemical contamination of agents includes the area of ​​application of agents and the territory over which a cloud of contaminated air with damaging concentrations has spread. The focus of chemical destruction is the territory within which, as a result of the use of chemical weapons, mass destruction of people, farm animals and plants occurred.

The characteristics of infection zones and foci of damage depend on the type of poisonous substance, means and methods of application, and meteorological conditions. The main features of the focus of chemical damage include:

• defeat of people and animals without destruction and damage to buildings, structures, equipment, etc.;
• contamination of economic facilities and residential areas for a long time with persistent agents;
• the defeat of people over large areas for a long time after the use of agents;
• the defeat of not only people in open areas, but also those in leaky shelters and shelters;
• strong moral impact.

Rice. 1. Zone of chemical contamination and foci of chemical damage during the use of chemical weapons: Av - means of use (aviation); VX is the type of substance (vi-gas); 1-3 - lesions

As a rule, the vaporous phase of the OM affects the workers and employees of the facilities who find themselves in industrial buildings and structures at the time of a chemical attack. Therefore, all work should be carried out in gas masks, and when using agents of nerve paralytic or blistering action - in skin protection.

After the First World War, despite the large stocks of chemical weapons, they were not widely used either for military purposes, let alone against the civilian population. During the Vietnam War, the Americans widely used phytotoxicants (to fight the guerrillas) of three main formulations: "orange", "white" and "blue". In South Vietnam, about 43% of the total area and 44% of the forest area were affected. At the same time, all phytotoxicants turned out to be toxic for both humans and warm-blooded animals. Thus, it was caused - caused enormous damage to the environment.

On the way from coal to pyramidon, or to a bottle of perfume, or to an ordinary photographic preparation, there are such diabolical things as TNT and picric acid, such magnificent things as bromine-benzyl-cyanide, chlor-picrin, di-phenyl-chloro- arsine and so on and so forth, that is, combat gases that make people sneeze, cry, tear off their protective masks, suffocate, vomit blood, become covered with boils, rot alive...

A.N. Tolstoy, "Hyperboloid engineer Garin"

The chemical king Rolling colorfully described the possibilities of chemistry on the battlefield, but still exaggerated a little and sinned against the truth. Poisonous substances, which were available at the time of the writing of "Engineer Garin's Hyperboloid", were quite successfully filtered by gas masks and were effective only with low chemical discipline of the personnel. And on the way from coal to pyramidon, no serious poisonous substances can be traced. But one should pay tribute to Alexei Tolstoy - he managed to convey the attitude towards poisonous gases that dominated the world at the beginning of the 20th century.

Today, Hiroshima has become the symbol of weapons of mass destruction. And ninety-five years ago, the short name of the provincial Belgian town of Ypres sounded just as ominously. We will get to that later, but we will start with earlier precedents for the combat use of poisonous substances ...

Poisons and agents - what's the difference?

In the American army, this sign is placed on everything that has to do with
reaction to chemical weapons.

Poisons are a very broad category. It includes any substances that in one way or another harm a living organism during chemical interaction with it. But not all poisons can be used as an active component of chemical weapons of mass destruction. For example, highly toxic potassium cyanide completely unsuitable for combat use - it is extremely difficult to turn it into an aerosol, moreover, in aerosol form, its toxicity is insufficient to effectively defeat manpower. Most of the poisons mentioned in the previous article cannot be used in combat for the same reason or for a number of other reasons - the complexity and high cost of production, storage stability, an unacceptable latency period, the ability to penetrate the biological barriers of the body.

The definition of chemical agents (poisonous substances) is quite laconic - these are highly toxic chemical compounds designed to destroy enemy manpower. As a matter of fact, the entire complex of requirements for OV is contained in this definition. When setting the task of creating an OM, many properties of an economic, biochemical, and military nature are taken into account. The substance must provide a guaranteed action at combat concentrations, be stored for a certain time without changing the toxicological characteristics, be effectively delivered to the place of use, and deactivate after a specified period. And of course, it should be quite simple in synthesis, not require expensive raw materials and technological processes.

Chemical weapons are often confused with CW. But these are still different things. Chemical weapons are a complex of means for storing, delivering and converting poisonous substances into combat form. And the agents themselves are the active component of chemical weapons. So, for example, a sealed container with sarin is not yet a chemical weapon; it is not suitable for prompt delivery and rapid spread of warfare over a large area. But the warhead of the Honest John missile, equipped with containers with sarin, is already.

From defense to attack

These are the trebuchets that threw the first chemical munitions into the enemy fortress. Two dead dogs an hour. Or two night pots.

Attempts to use chemical weapons were noted in the historical documents of antiquity. The Chinese texts of the 4th century BC describe the use of poisonous gases to fight the enemy's digging under the walls of the fortress - the smoke of a burning mixture of mustard and wormwood was injected into the counterdigs, which caused suffocation and even death. And in the military treatises of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279) mention is made of the use of toxic smoke obtained by burning the mineral arsenopyrite containing arsenic.

During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans used toxic and suffocating sulphurous smoke during offensive hostilities, but history is silent about how effective its use was.

Medieval sieges of fortresses gave rise to a mass of ersatz substitutes for chemical weapons. Pots with sewage, decomposed corpses of animals were thrown into the besieged territory. However, if we recall the level of sanitary culture of medieval cities, the effectiveness of such a “weapon” is in doubt. A dog corpse on the street or a fetid puddle of sewage then it was difficult to deprive someone of the presence of mind.

The invention of gunpowder made it possible to create primitive chemical munitions, consisting of a mixture of poisons and gunpowder. Such bombs were thrown by catapults and exploded in the air, forming heavy toxic aerosols that poisoned enemy soldiers. The toxic component of these bombs was a variety of toxic substances - croton alkaloids, arsenic compounds, aconite extract. In 1672, during the siege of the city of Groningen, Bishop Christophe-Bernard van Galen ordered that belladonna be added to incendiary compositions of projectiles. And a little later, the Brazilian natives fought the conquistadors with the suffocating and irritating smoke of red pepper, which contains the alkaloid capsoicin.

If we approach this from the point of view of military toxicology, we can say that in antiquity and the Middle Ages, sternites and lachrymators Substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. Modern toxicology includes both of these classes in the group incapacitants, that is, substances that temporarily disable manpower. Then, of course, they did not even dream of killing enemy soldiers “in one breath”.

It is interesting: Leonardo da Vinci was interested in chemical weapons, who created a whole list of drugs that, in his opinion, are promising for combat use. However, all of them were too expensive and not effective enough for use on the battlefield.

Being a lord sounds proud!

The British Lord Playfair was a supporter of
com fair play. In any case, his arguments against the use of gases concerned the ethical
ty, not practicality.

During the Crimean War, the British command discussed the project of storming Sevastopol with the use of sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapor, which, according to the plan, were supposed to suppress the fire resistance of the defenders. White Flag Admiral Thomas Cochrane, the developer of the project, prepared and handed over all the documentation to the government. Even the required amount of sulfur was determined - 500 tons. Ultimately, the documentation came to the consideration of a committee headed by Lord Lyon Playfair. The Committee decided not to use such weapons for ethical reasons, however, from the correspondence of committee members with members of the government, it can be concluded that the reasons were much more pragmatic - the lords were afraid of getting into a ridiculous position if they failed.

The experience accumulated over the first half of the 20th century convincingly proved that the lords were right - an attempt at a gas attack on the fortified Sevastopol would have been crowned with a complete failure.

For the next sixty years, the military continued to abhor chemical weapons. The reason for this is not only the contemptuous attitude of military leaders towards poisoners, but also the lack of need for such weapons. Poisonous substances did not fit into the established tactics of warfare.

At about the same time as Britain, Russia was also thinking about developing chemical weapons. Field tests of ammunition with explosive agents were even carried out, but due to the lack of experience in its use, they showed almost zero results. Work in this direction was completely curtailed until 1915, when Germany violated the decision of the Hague Declaration of 1899, which prohibits "the use of projectiles that have the sole purpose of spreading asphyxiating or harmful gases."

Gases in the trenches

The main reason that prompted Germany to develop chemical weapons is the most developed chemical industry in Europe. In addition, the transition to trench warfare in October 1914, after the defeat on the Marne and Aeneas, required a large amount of artillery ammunition and left Germany no hope of success. The head of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry in Berlin was forced to lead the development of chemical warfare agents and methods for their use. Fritz Gaber. Since the beginning of the war, he has taken a leading position in the development of chemical weapons of mass destruction and means of protection against them, develops the deadly gas chlorine and gas masks with an absorbent filter; he was appointed head of the chemical service of the German troops.

Fritz Gaber. The man who created the first military chemical weapon. His brainchild claimed more lives than two American atomic bombs.

It is interesting: Fritz Haber is the inventor of the infamous Zyklon B, which was originally conceived as a pesticide, but was widely used by the Nazis during World War II to exterminate prisoners in death camps.

British infantrymen on exercises in the conditions of the use of chemical
th weapon. Speed ​​is the key not only to victory
dy, but also survival.

Strictly speaking, France was the first to use chemical weapons in August 1914. These were 26 mm rifle grenades with xylyl bromide and bromoacetone lachrymators. But this was not considered a gross violation of the Hague Convention, since these compounds were not deadly.

At that time, Germany had already established the production of dimethylarsine oxide and phosgene, poisonous substances of general toxic and asphyxiating action. Next in line were artillery ammunition filled with poisonous substances. The first batch of such shells (about three thousand) was used in the defense of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915, but it did not show any noticeable combat effectiveness.

This is how repeated experiments with non-lethal irritating agents led to the conclusion that their effectiveness is extremely low. And then Fritz Haber suggested using OM in the form of a gas cloud. He personally trained the soldiers of gas units, controlled the filling of cylinders and their transportation. April 22, 1915, became a landmark date in the history of military warfare, when Germany carried out a massive chlorine attack against the Anglo-French troops in the area of ​​the Belgian city of Ypres. In seventeen hours, 5730 cylinders were used.

The results of the attack were horrifying - 15 thousand soldiers were poisoned, while every third died, and those who managed to survive remained blind invalids with burned lungs. But the Germans failed to consolidate their success - the lack of good personal protective equipment led to a delay in the advance of the German infantry and the closure of the front breakthrough by the English reserve.

Gas attack.

It is interesting: for the successful implementation of the gas attack against the allied forces, Fritz Haber was awarded the rank of captain of the German troops. However, his wife Clara considered the development of chemical weapons barbaric and demeaning. On the night of May 2, 1915, when Fritz Haber donned his captain's uniform for the first time and celebrated his promotion, Clara committed suicide. Gaber was not present at her funeral - on the orders of the German command, he urgently left for the eastern front to prepare a new gas attack.

Clara Immerwahr is the wife of Fritz Haber. She was the first person to give her life in protest against chemical weapons.

The gas mask of the First World War was much less elegant than the current one. But he did his job well.

On May 31, 1915, the Germans used an even more highly toxic suffocating agent against the Russian troops - phosgene. Nine thousand people died. And two years later, in the Ypres region, it was first tested mustard gas aka mustard gas. During the period from 1917 to 1918, the warring parties used 12,000 tons of mustard gas, which affected about 400,000 people.

During the entire First World War, chemical weapons were used many times - both by Germany and by the Entente. In total, for the period from April 1915 to November 1918, the Germans carried out more than 50 gas balloon attacks, the British - 150, the French - 20.

Soon gas cylinders were replaced by gas cannons - a kind of artillery guns that fired gas containers with a nose fuse. Despite the fact that this method of delivery made chemical weapons independent of the direction of the wind, there was only one case of serious tactical success - when the Austro-Hungarian divisions broke through the Italian front at Caporetto.

Russia started the development and production of chemical weapons relatively late - the negative attitude of the high command affected. However, after the gas attack on Ypres, “above” was forced to reconsider their view of things.

Already in August 1915, the production of liquefied chlorine was launched, and in October the production of phosgene began. But the use of chemical weapons by the Russian army was episodic, since no concept of its use was developed until the end of the First World War.

During the First World War, a huge amount of toxic substances was used up - about 125 thousand tons, and about forty percent fell on Germany. During the hostilities, more than forty types of combat agents were tested again, including three blistering, two asphyxiating, 31 irritating and five general toxic effects. The total losses from chemical weapons are estimated at 1.3 million people, of which up to 100 thousand are irretrievable.

Geneva Protocol

In 1874 and 1899, two declarations were drawn up regarding the non-use of chemical weapons, the Brussels and The Hague. But they were so imperfect that they lost their relevance by the time they were signed. Politicians were completely ignorant of chemistry and allowed ridiculous formulations like "poisoned weapons" and "suffocating gases." Ultimately, none of these declarations came into force, although the Hague was signed by several countries.

It is interesting: the very first agreement regarding the non-use of chemical weapons was signed on August 27, 1675 by France and the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The parties pledged not to use "treacherous and fetid" poisonous substances in the war.

Machine gunners in position are very vulnerable to the gas cloud. They can only rely on the quality of their gas masks.

There were two opposing tendencies in the interwar decades. The European society was resolutely opposed to chemical weapons, and the industrialists of Europe and the USA, on the contrary, promoted in every possible way the idea of ​​chemical weapons as an indispensable component of any war, because it was a question of considerable allocations for military orders.

The League of Nations, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, held a number of conferences promoting a ban on the use of military weapons. In 1921, the Washington Conference on Arms Limitation took place. To discuss the applicability of chemical weapons, a special subcommittee was created, which had information on the results of the use of combat agents in the First World War. The subcommittee's decision sounded concise and extremely clear - the use of chemical weapons against the enemy on land and on water cannot be allowed.

On June 17, 1925, in Geneva, the “Protocol on the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous and Other Similar Gases and Bacteriological Agents in War” was created and signed by many states, which has now been ratified by 134 states, including the United States and Great Britain. However, the "Protocol" in no way regulated the development, production and storage of combat agents and did not stipulate bacterial toxins. This allowed the United States to expand the Edgewood arsenal (Maryland) and engage in further development of chemical weapons without fear of protests from the countries participating in the Protocol. Moreover, the too narrow interpretation of the concept of "war" made it possible for the United States to widely use defoliants in Vietnam.

Dead weight

Zyklon B could be transported in such banks. Before the opening and the start of heating, it was practically not dangerous.

After Hitler came to power, Germany resumed the development of combat weapons, and of a clearly pronounced offensive nature. At the chemical enterprises of Germany, agents were produced, which showed high efficiency during the First World War. At the same time, work was underway to find even more effective chemical compounds. In 1935, skin-abscess agents were obtained N-Lost and O Lost, and a year later - the first nerve agents herd. By 1945, Germany had 12 thousand tons of herd in stock, which was not produced anywhere else. At the end of the war, equipment for the production of tabun was taken to the USSR.

Of course, the Nazis ignored all international treaties, but stocks of nerve gases remained in warehouses throughout the war. There are usually two possible reasons for this.

Firstly, Hitler assumed that the USSR had a greater number of combat agents, and the use of gases by Germany could provide carte blanche to the enemy. In addition, the length of the eastern front and the vast territories of the Soviet Union would make chemical weapons very ineffective. Germany, on the other hand, was geographically in a very vulnerable position to chemical attacks.

Secondly, the nature of military operations on the eastern front was not positional, the tactical situation sometimes changed very quickly, and the means of chemical protection were already quite effective at that time.

Yesterday, today

An American UH-1D helicopter sprays "agent orange" in the Mekong Delta.

Police grenades with CN lachrymator look very solid. Even in a military way.

The demonstration of the effectiveness of nuclear weapons has convincingly shown their superiority over chemical ones. After all, the damaging effects of chemical weapons depend on many unpredictable factors, and this creates difficulties in military planning. In addition, civilians are the first to be affected by chemical weapons, while armed forces equipped with protective equipment can remain combat-ready. These considerations eventually led the United States to accede to the Geneva Protocol in 1975, after the end of the Vietnam War.

Although the defoliants dropped on Vietnam were intended to destroy the jungle and make it easier to find the Viet Cong, the simplified synthesis technology resulted in dioxin contamination of the defoliants. According to the US Department of Defense, from 1962 to 1971, the Americans sprayed 77 million liters of defoliant in South Vietnam. Agent Orange, partially containing dioxin. Of the three million victims of the chemical, over a million people under the age of 18 now suffer from hereditary diseases.

Despite the factors restraining and limiting the use of military chemical weapons, their development has been carried out until recently, and according to some reports, it is still being developed. The nerve gas VX, twenty times more toxic than soman, was created at the UK Chemical Defense Experimental Laboratories in 1952. And in 1982, US President Ronald Reagan authorized the start of production of binary chemical weapons, consisting of two relatively harmless substances, the mixture of which turns into a highly toxic agent during the flight of a projectile or rocket.

To date, the use of so-called police gases in the suppression of civil unrest is considered conditionally justified. And of course, the reasonable use of special chemical weapons in anti-terrorist operations can be considered completely justified. However, large-scale tragedies are also possible with the use of non-lethal chemical agents. So, for example, during the release of the hostages of the terrorist attack on Dubrovka, known as "Nord-Ost", according to official data, 130 people died, and according to the testimonies of the surviving hostages - more than 170. In total, more than 700 people were injured.

Arrow poisons

An Indian hunter is busy making poisoned arrows. The case is very responsible
venous, the main thing is not to scratch yourself.

Since ancient times, man has used poisons not only to kill his neighbor, but also for hunting. Interestingly, all prehistoric communities, separated by insurmountable oceans, independently came up with the idea of ​​arrow poison, that is, poison that can poison an arrow. The differences were only in how this or that poison acted. And this depended only on what sources of poison were available.

The Indians of South America used curare for hunting - a nerve poison surrounded by a mystical halo and serving as the subject of cautious admiration of Europeans. The animal, hit by a poisoned arrow, fell to the ground completely paralyzed in a minute and died from respiratory arrest. The method of preparing curare for a long time remained a mystery to the European conquerors of America, and the chemistry of those times could not cope with the analysis of its composition. Moreover, different tribes used different recipes and methods of making.

The famous French physiologist Claude Bernard began the study of the physiological action of curare in the middle of the last century, and the isolation and study of the alkaloids contained in it continued almost to our time. Today, the composition and active principle of Indian arrow poison is known. The alkaloid has a neurotoxic effect tubocurarine contained in the bark of poisonous strychnos. After a long study, tubocurarine entered the arsenal of medicine - it is used to relax muscles during surgical operations and in traumatology. Tubocurarine is highly selective, acting only on skeletal muscle, with no effect on cardiac muscle or smooth muscle. If a person whose blood has been injected with tubocurarine is given artificial respiration until the body is completely cleansed of the poison, then he will remain alive and unharmed.

David Livingston is a true researcher
Tel. Attentiveness and the ability to draw correct conclusions were inherent in him to the fullest.

The natives of South Africa used cardiac glycoside to create their arrow poisons. strophanthin. This was found out purely by chance and only because the English traveler David Livingston was attentive. During his second expedition, he used a toothbrush that lay next to the poisoned arrows, and found that after brushing his teeth, his pulse slowed noticeably. But only many years later, an employee of the English trading post in Nigeria was able to get the amount of poison necessary for research. Now strophanthin is a very important cardio drug. With his help, many people were saved.

The same Livingston, who studied the life of the African Bushmen, described an extremely complex arrow poison, which included diamphidian larvae. The poison had hemotoxic properties. Depending on the size of the animal, death occurred in a few minutes or a few hours. At the same time, the meat remained edible, it was only necessary to cut out a place around the wound. Studies have shown that the basis of the poison is a polypeptide with a molecular weight of about 60,000. Already at concentrations of 60-70 molecules per erythrocyte, the poison leads to the destruction of blood cells and the death of the body from tissue hypoxia. Bushman arrow poison, unlike curare, does not lose toxicity over time. The German toxicologist Louis Levin discovered that the poison, which had lain in the Berlin Museum for ninety years, retained its properties.

The tribes of Java, Sumatra and Borneo received arrow poison from a tree sung by Pushkin - anchara. Its active principle is antiarin glycoside, which has cardiotoxic activity.

OS classification

The variety of combat weapons according to the classes of formations, properties and combat purpose requires streamlining. But there is no need for a unified and universal classification, since the views of a medical serviceman on the EA do not at all coincide with the views of a specialist in operational-tactical planning. That is why there are several systems that take as a basis the properties and features of the OM that are most characteristic of their profile.

Physiological classification allows you to combine into one system measures for protection, decontamination, sanitation and medical care. It is exceptionally good for field conditions, in which there may be an acute shortage of doctors, but at the same time it often does not take into account the side effects of the OV, which can be no less dangerous than the main one. In addition, from time to time new chemical weapons appear in the arsenal of chemical weapons, which are generally difficult to attribute to any known group.

According to the physiological effects on the body, agents are divided into seven types (this division is considered recognized by domestic military toxicology and may differ for foreign schools).

Nerve agents

Chemical munitions. Mostly smoke and tear.

American counter-
gas of the 1944 model has already acquired modern
changing outlines.

They affect the human nervous system, penetrating the body through the respiratory tract or skin. They are usually volatile liquids. The purpose of using nerve agents is to quickly (within 10-15 minutes) and massively disable the enemy’s manpower with the greatest possible number of deaths. Poisonous substances of this group include sarin, soman, herd and V-agents(in particular, VX). Lethal concentration when acting through the respiratory organs - for VX 0.01 mg * min / l, and when resorbed through the skin - 0.1 mg / kg.

The toxicity of nerve agents can be characterized as follows: if a person opens a laboratory tube with soman for a few seconds while holding his breath, then the evaporated agent will be enough to kill him by being absorbed through the skin.

General toxic agents

General poisonous agents penetrate through the respiratory tract and affect the mechanisms of oxygen transfer from the blood to the tissues. This mechanism of action makes them the fastest acting agents. Chemical agents of this type include hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride, which was used to a limited extent during the First World War. Their disadvantage can be considered a fairly high lethal concentration - about 10 mg * min / l.

A jet of hydrocyanic acid in the face was used by Bogdan Stashinsky during the liquidation of Stepan Bandera in 1959. Given the nature of the action of hydrocyanic acid, we can say that Bandera had no chance.

Until recently, hydrocyanic acid was used in five US states to execute prisoners in the gas chamber. But death, as practice has shown, in this case does not come instantly. Donald Harding, who was executed in the gas chamber in 1992, took eleven minutes to die. It got to the point that he was advised to breathe deeper, that is, to take an active part in his own execution ...

Skin blister agents

This group - substances of cytotoxic action. They destroy cell membranes, stop carbohydrate metabolism, tear off nitrogenous bases from DNA and RNA. Their impact on the skin and respiratory tract leads to the formation of ulcers, sometimes healing for two to three months. The insidiousness of skin-abscess agents is that their effect is not accompanied by pain and manifests itself two to three hours after contact with the skin. When inhaled, acute pneumonia develops.

Skin blister agents include mustard gas and lewisite. The minimum dose of mustard gas that causes the formation of abscesses on the skin is 0.1 mg / cm 2 (a drop of such a mass is practically invisible to the naked eye). The lethal dose when acting through the skin is 70 mg / kg with a latent period of action up to twelve hours.

Asphyxiating agents

A typical representative of suffocating agents is phosgene. It causes pulmonary edema, which leads to lung failure and death from suffocation. At a concentration of 5 mg/l, a few seconds of inhalation is sufficient to produce a lethal dose. But toxic pulmonary edema develops only after a latent period lasting up to several hours. Because of this, phosgene as a combat agent could only be used in positional warfare, and today it is recognized as ineffective.

Sneezing OM (sternitis)

The name of this class in an inexperienced reader may cause a scornful smile. But allergy sufferers, who occasionally sneeze a hundred times without a break, understand well what kind of torment it is. A sneezing person is unable to shoot or defend hand-to-hand. Sternites can be used in combination with lethal warfare agents to force a soldier to rip off his gas mask if the gas attack starts suddenly and he takes a few breaths before donning the mask.

Typical sternites are adamsite and diphenylchlorarsine.

Tear agents (lacrimators)

Lachrymators are perhaps the most popular poisonous substances in the modern world. They have long ceased to be considered combat and have firmly established themselves in the pocket cans of law-abiding citizens. The well-known CS and Cheryomukha are exactly lachrymators.

Cartridges with lachrymator cause a variety of reviews. But mostly disrespectful.

Such cartridges appeared in the mid-80s. And at first they were perceived as a superweapon.

Sternites and lachrymators have recently been combined into a subgroup irritants(OS irritant), which, in turn, can be assigned to the group incapacitants, that is, non-lethal agents of reversible action. In addition, foreign sources include in the group of incapacitants a number of psychotropic substances that cause a short-term mental disorder, and algogenes, that is, agents that cause an intolerable burning sensation upon contact with the skin (for example, cayenne pepper extract containing capsoicin). The vast majority of these substances are not considered by military toxicology.

However, there are also combat irritants. Such is, for example, dibenzoxazepine obtained by Swiss chemists in 1962. From contact with the skin of 2 mg of dry dibenzoxazepine, redness will occur within ten minutes, 5 mg cause burning, and 20 mg cause unbearable pain. At the same time, attempts to wash off the irritant with water only increase its effect.

Psychochemical OS

These toxic substances affect the central nervous system and disrupt the normal mental activity of a person. They can cause temporary blindness and deafness, panic fear, hallucinations, impaired locomotor functions. In concentrations sufficient for the manifestation of psychotropic effects, these agents do not lead to death.

A typical representative BZ. It causes dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased heart rate, muscle weakness, weakening of attention and memory, decreased reactions to external stimuli, psychomotor agitation, hallucinations, loss of contact with the outside world. The incapacitating concentration is 0.1 mg * min / l, and the lethal concentration is at least a thousand times greater.

Tactical classification subdivides agents according to volatility (unstable, persistent and poisonous smoke), the nature of the impact on manpower (lethal, temporarily incapacitating, training), the rate of onset of the damaging effect (with a period of latent action, high-speed).

The conventionality of tactical classification is visible even to a non-specialist. So, for example, the concept of lethal agents is very flexible and depends on many factors that cannot be taken into account in combat conditions - weather conditions, the chemical discipline of manpower, the availability of protective equipment and their quality, the availability and condition of military equipment. From a police CS lachrymator at high concentrations, a civilian may well die, and a trained and equipped soldier will survive in conditions of a very strong chemical contamination of the area with a highly toxic VX nerve gas.

Here we are with you and completed a brief acquaintance with combat OV - from antique sulfuric smoke to modern VX. I wish you fresh mountain air and spring water. Until we meet again, and be happy at the slightest opportunity.

POISONING SUBSTANCES (OV)- highly toxic chemical compounds adopted by the armies of a number of capitalist states and designed to destroy enemy manpower during hostilities. Sometimes chemical agents are also called chemical warfare agents (CWs). In a broader sense, agents include natural and synthetic compounds that can cause mass poisoning of people and animals, as well as infect vegetation, including agricultural crops (agricultural pesticides, industrial poisons, etc.).

OS cause mass damage and death of people as a result of direct impact on the body (primary damage), as well as when a person comes into contact with environmental objects or consumes food, water contaminated with OS (secondary damage). OM can enter the body through the respiratory system, skin, mucous membranes, and the digestive tract. Forming the basis of chemical weapons (see), agents are the subject of study of military toxicology (see Toxicology, military toxicology).

Certain tactical and technical requirements are imposed on the agents - they must have high toxicity, be available for mass production, be stable during storage, simple and reliable in combat use, capable of causing damage to people who do not use anti-chemical protection means, and resistant to degassers in a combat situation. At the present, the stage of development of chem. weapons of the armies of the capitalist countries, poisons can be used as agents, which under normal conditions do not act on the body through unprotected skin and respiratory organs, but cause severe injuries as a result of injuries from shrapnel or special damaging chemical elements. ammunition, as well as the so-called. binary mixtures, at the time of application of chemical. ammunition forming highly toxic agents as a result of the interaction of harmless chemical. components.

A strict classification of OM is difficult, in particular, because of the extreme diversity of physical and chemical. properties, structure, primary biochemical reactions of organic matter with numerous receptors in the body, a variety of functional and organic changes at the molecular, cellular, organ levels, often accompanied by various kinds of non-specific reactions of the whole organism.

Clinical-toxicological and tactical classifications have gained the greatest importance. In accordance with the first OB, they are divided into groups: nerve agents (see) - tabun, sarin, soman, V-gases; general poisonous toxic substances (see) - hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride, carbon monoxide; blistering agents (see) - mustard gas, trichlorotriethylamine, lewisite; suffocating poisonous substances (see) - phosgene, diphosgene, chloropicrin; irritating toxic substances (see) - chloroacetophenone, bromobenzyl cyanide (lachrymators), adamsite, CS, CR substances (sternites); psychotomimetic toxic substances (see) - lysergic diethylamide to - you, substance BZ. It is also customary to subdivide all agents into two large groups: lethal (nerve paralytic, blistering, suffocating and general poisonous agents) and temporarily incapacitating (psychotomimetic and irritant).

According to the tactical classification, three groups of agents are distinguished: unstable (NOV), persistent (OWS) and poisonous-smoky (POISON B).

At all variety biol, actions on an organism of OV possess nek-ry general fiz.-chem. properties that determine their group characteristics. Knowledge of these properties makes it possible to foresee the methods of combat use, the degree of danger of agents in specific meteoroids. conditions and the likelihood of secondary lesions, to substantiate the methods of indication and degassing of agents, as well as to use appropriate anti-chemical agents and honey. protection.

Practically important properties of OM are the melting and boiling points, which determine their state of aggregation and volatility at ambient temperature. These parameters are closely related to the resistance of agents, i.e., their ability to maintain a damaging effect over time. The group of unstable agents includes substances with high volatility (high saturated vapor pressure and low, up to 40 °, boiling point), for example, phosgene, hydrocyanic acid. Under normal weather conditions, they are in the atmosphere in a vaporous state and cause only primary damage to people and animals through the respiratory system. These substances do not require sanitization of personnel (see Sanitization), degassing of equipment and weapons (see Degassing), because they do not infect environmental objects. Persistent agents include agents with a high boiling point and low vapor pressure. They retain their resistance for several hours in summer and up to several weeks in winter and can be used in a drop-liquid and aerosol state (mustard gas, nerve agents, etc.). Persistent agents act through the respiratory organs and unprotected skin, and also cause secondary lesions upon contact with contaminated environmental objects, the use of poisoned food and water. Their application requires partial and complete sanitation of personnel, degassing of military equipment, weapons, medical equipment. property and uniforms, conducting an examination of food and water (see Indication of means of destruction).

Possessing high solubility in fats (lipids), OV are capable to get through biol, membranes and to influence the fermental systems which are in membrane structures. This determines the high toxicity of many agents. Their ability to infect water bodies is associated with the solubility of OM in water, and their ability to penetrate into the thickness of rubber and other products is associated with solubility in organic solvents.

When degassing OM and the use of honey. means of protection in order to prevent damage, it is important to take into account the ability of the agent to hydrolyze with water, solutions of alkalis or to-t, their ability to interact with chlorinating agents, oxidizing agents, reducing agents or complexing agents, as a result of which the agent is destroyed or non-toxic products are formed.

The most important characteristic of OV, which determines their combat properties, is toxicity - a measure of biol, action, edges is expressed by a toxic dose, i.e., the amount of a substance that causes a certain toxic effect. When OS gets on the skin, the toxic dose is determined by the amount of OS per 1 cm2 of the body surface (mg / cm 2), and for oral or parenteral (through the wound) exposure - the amount of OS per 1 kg of body weight (mass) (mg / cm2). kg). When inhaled, the toxic dose (W, or Haber's constant) depends on the concentration of the toxic substance in the inhaled air and the time the person stays in the contaminated atmosphere and is calculated by the formula W = c * t, where c is the concentration of OM (mg / l, or g / m 3), t - time of exposure to RH (min.).

Due to accumulation (cumulation) or, conversely, rapid detoxification of chemical. substances in the body, the dependence of the toxic effect on the amount and rate of OM intake into the body is not always linear. Therefore, the Haber formula is used only for a preliminary assessment of the toxicity of compounds.

To characterize the toxicity of agents in military toxicology, the concepts of threshold (minimum effective), average lethal, and absolutely lethal doses are usually used. Threshold (D lim) consider the dose, edge causes changes in the functions of any organs or systems that go beyond the physiological. Under the average lethal (DL 50) or absolutely lethal (DL 100) dose is understood the amount of agents that causes the death of 50 or 100% of the affected, respectively.

Prevention of poisoning by highly toxic chemical compounds for various purposes is ensured by the use of personal protective equipment for the respiratory organs and skin, strict adherence to safety measures, as well as honey. control over working conditions and the state of health of persons working with them (see Poisoning).

Poison Protection

Protection from toxic substances is carried out in the general system of protection against combat weapons (see) with the participation of chemical, engineering, medical and other services of the Armed Forces and civil defense and includes: constant monitoring of chemical. situation, timely notification of the threat of chemical. attacks; providing personnel of troops, civil defense formations and the population with individual technical and medical means of protection (see), sanitation of personnel, examination of food and water that have been contaminated, medical and evacuation measures in relation to the affected (see. Center of mass destruction). Medical care in these conditions is organized in accordance with the general principles of staged treatment of the wounded and sick with their evacuation according to their destination and taking into account the specifics of lesions by one or another agent. Of particular importance in this case are the speed and clarity of the implementation of measures to stop the further intake of toxic substances into the body and actively remove them, urgently neutralize the poison or neutralize its action with the help of specific medications - antidotes OB (see), as well as symptomatic therapy aimed at protection and maintenance of body functions, to-rye are mainly affected by these agents.

Bibliography: Harmful substances in industry, ed. N. V-. Lazareva et al., vol. 1 - 3, JI., 1977; Ganzhara P. S, and Novikov A. A. Textbook on clinical toxicology, M., 1979; Luzhnikov E.A., Dagaev V.N. and Firsov H. N. Fundamentals of resuscitation in acute poisoning, M., 1977; Emergency care for acute poisoning, Handbook of toxicology, ed. S. N. Golikova. Moscow, 1977. Guide to the toxicology of toxic substances, ed. G. N. Golikova, M., 1972; With a-notsky IV and Fomenko VN Long-term consequences of the influence of chemical compounds on the body, M., 1979; Franke 3. Chemistry of poisonous substances, trans. from German, M., 1973.

V. I. Artamonov.