Lecture Slides On Toxic Gases and An Introduction To CBRNE Weapons

Overview of CBRNE

Chemical agents

• Blood agents
• Nerve agents
• Blistering agents

1. Blood agents

Cyanide groups

2. Nerve agents

• G series and V series
• G series - made in Germany (that's why it is called G)
• GA Tabun, GB (Sarin - used in Aum Shinrikyo 1995 attack), GD (Soman)
• V series e.g. VX

3. Blistering agents - Lewisite - causing skin eruptions

2. Biological Weapons

Two main types

1. Biological Agents
2. Biological Toxins

Biological Agents divided into two main types

1. Viruses - e.g. Virus hemorrhagic fever like Ebola
2. Bacteria - e.g. anthrax, Yersinia pestis (plague)

Biological toxins. Examples include:

• Botulinism - inhibit acethylcholinesterase breakdown
• Ricin - from castor oil - inhibit protein synthesis causing organ damage
• SEB - Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B - stimulates immune system and cytokines

3. Radiation

1. α radiation
2. β radiation
3. γ radiation

Alpha radiations

• Slow moving, heavy
• Highly ionizing but
• very poor penetration - can be stopped by a piece of paper
• because highly ionizing, can cause a lot of damage if ingested

Beta radiations

• better penetration up to 8 mm to skin

Gamma radiations

• highly penetrating

4. Nuclear weapons

• A Bomb (Atomic Bomb) - through nuclear fission
• H Bomb (Hydrogen Bomb) - through nuclear fusion; more powerful than A Bomb
• Only six countries in the world have H Bomb: US, UK, China, India, Russia and France

5. Explosives

1. Large scale - Incendiary bombs, Napalm-B, Mark 77
2. Smaller scale - Molotov Cocktail (Poor man’s hand grenades)