Community Magazine March 2003

S ince the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of chemi- cal, biological, or nuclear warfare in our own backayard, I felt the need to share my expertise on the subject to help put these threats in the proper perspective. A short history lesson: In the mid 1990s, there were a series of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway sta- tions. Given perfect conditions for an attack, less than 10% of the people there were affected (most injuries were minor and people were treated and released with- in hours)and only 1% of the injuries proved fatal. 60 Minutes once reported that a single drop of nerve gas could kill a thousand people. They did not report that the thousand dead people per drop was only theoretical and based on impossible conditions. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible nerve gas is to keep the recruits awake in class. I know this to be true because I used the same tactics during my time as a Drill Sergeant. Everything you’ve ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in a novel is grossly exaggerated. These weapons are primarily used to threaten, and are exceedingly difficult to use for mass murder. If one remained calm while nerve gas was being released, they would probably be able to make their way to safe- ty without a threat to their life. 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 any- thing. When you leave the area you almost always leave the risk. That’s the differ- ence; you can leave the area, but soldiers who may have to stay and sit through it are the only ones that need the spiffy gear. These weapons are not gasses; they are vapors and air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity to kill or injure; even the time of day is a fac- tor. Every day, at sunrise and sunset, we have a morning and evening inversion where “particles” suspended in the air are pushed down. This inversion is why aller- gies (pollen) and air pollu- tion are worst at these times of the day. Therefore, a chemical attack will have its best effect for an hour or so before or after sunrise and sunset. Also, because vapors and airborne particles are heavier than air, they will settle in low places like ditches, basements and under- ground garages. They won’t work when it’s freezing, they won’t last when it’s hot, and the wind thins it to harmless concen- trations. The enemy has to place the agent on a person or get them to inhale it. The concentration of chemicals needs to be high enough to kill or wound. A chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and equipment, it would be even more so for terrorists. The more you know about this technology, the more you realize how difficult it is to use. NERVE AGENTS Nerve agents included products you already have these in your home, such as bug killers (like Raid). 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 with con- tact to the skin but it works best if it is inhaled. If a victim doesn’t die in the first minute and can leave the area, they’re probably going to live. The military’s anti- dote for all nerve agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve agent, rather they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes, when the agent’s effect is expired. The best protection is fresh air and staying calm. Symptoms of nerve agent poisoning: Sudden headache, dimness of vision (people appear to have pinpointed pupils), runny nose, excessive saliva or drooling, difficulty breathing, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach cramps, twitching of exposed skin that came in direct contact with a liquid. If you are in public and you start expe- riencing these symptoms, ask yourself: did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, or did someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too? Is there an odor of freshly cut hay, green corn, something fruity, or cam- 64 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc A SOLDIER’S VIEWPOINT ON SURVIVING NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ATTACKS BY: SFC RED THOMAS (RET) ARMOR MASTER GUNNER MESA, AZ A RETIRED MILITARY WEAPONS, MUNITIONS, AND TRAINING EXPERT. Weapons of Mass Hysteria