What is a chemical weapon?
A Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties. Munitions, devices and other equipment specifically designed to weaponise toxic chemicals also fall under the definition of chemical weapons.
What is the role of Chemistry in the fight against cancer?
Chemistry’s Role In Cancer. We also think that other prevalent types of cancer are initiated by the same mechanism. This mechanism can be prevented by use of natural compounds such as resveratrol and N -acetylcysteine to block formation of estrogen-DNA adducts.
Are toxins biological and chemical weapons?
These are considered as both chemical and biological weapons when used in violation of the Convention. The development, production and stockpiling of toxins for purposes of warfare are prohibited under both the CWC and Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Like the CWC, the BWC also requires States parties that possess toxin weapons to destroy them.
What are the advantages of chemical weapons?
First, chemical weapons are cost-effective, particularly when used against concentrated forces or populations. Second, they may be used at lower levels of concentration with an aim to cause panic and disorder among civilians.
What are chemical weapons?
A Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties. Munitions, devices and other equipment specifically designed to weaponise toxic chemicals also fall under the definition of chemical weapons.
How do chemical weapons affect humans?
The toxic agent triggers the immune system, causing fluids to build up in the lungs, which can cause death through asphyxiation or oxygen deficiency if the lungs are badly damaged. The effect of the chemical agent, once an individual is exposed to the vapour, may be immediate or can take up to three hours.
Is mustard gas still used to treat cancer?
Although some patients did benefit temporarily, especially those with Hodgkin disease and lymphosarcoma, problems with chemoresistance and chemotoxicity emerged. Several drugs derived from mustard agents are still used today to treat cancer, including one known as Mustargen (mechlorethamine).
What is an example of a chemical weapon?
Nerve gas, tear gas and pepper spray are three modern examples of chemical weapons. Lethal unitary chemical agents and munitions are extremely volatile and they constitute a class of hazardous chemical weapons that have been stockpiled by many nations.
Are chemical weapons effective?
The answer is that, today, they're not a particularly effective way of killing people. Chemical warfare came of age in the First World War, in many ways the ideal environment for it to thrive—soldiers back then were sitting ducks, massed together in low-lying trenches, static targets for weeks or months at a time.
What are the effects of biological weapons?
Bioweapons, Biodiversity, and Ecocide: Potential Effects of Biological Weapons on Biological Diversity: Bioweapon disease outbreaks could cause the extinction of endangered wildlife species, the erosion of genetic diversity in domesticated plants and animals, the destruction of traditional human livelihoods, and the ...
What chemicals are in chemo?
Types of ChemotherapyMustard gas derivatives: Mechlorethamine, Cyclophosphamide, Chlorambucil, Melphalan, and Ifosfamide.Ethylenimines: Thiotepa and Hexamethylmelamine.Alkylsulfonates: Busulfan.Hydrazines and Triazines: Altretamine, Procarbazine, Dacarbazine and Temozolomide.More items...
How toxic is chemotherapy drugs?
Chemotherapy drugs are considered to be hazardous to people who handle them or come into contact with them. For patients, this means the drugs are strong enough to damage or kill cancer cells. But this also means the drugs can be a concern for others who might be exposed to them.
How was cancer first treated?
The first cancer to be cured was choriocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the placenta, using methotrexate which is still a useful drug 60 years later.
How does a chemical weapon work?
A chemical weapon is any weapon that uses a manufactured chemical to kill people. The first chemical weapon used effectively in battle was chlorine gas, which burns and destroys lung tissue. Chlorine is not an exotic chemical. Most municipal water systems use it today to kill bacteria.
What is the most common chemical weapon?
MustardDescription. Mustard agents are the most widely known of the blister agents and the most common. ... Effects. Mustard also damages eyes and airways after contact, and the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow (where immune system cells are produced) after high doses are absorbed.
What are the four types of chemical weapons?
Major categories of CWAs include the following:Nerve agents (such as sarin, soman, cyclohexylsarin, tabun, VX)Vesicating or blistering agents (such as mustards, lewisite)Choking agents or lung toxicants (such as chlorine, phosgene, diphosgene)Cyanides.Incapacitating agents (such as anticholinergic compounds)More items...
What is the treatment for cancer?
Chemotherapy is a chemical method for treating cancer tumors. Cocktails of adapted chemicals are injected into the patient to treat the tumor and its potential metastases in a targeted manner.
What is the composition of chemotherapies?
Cytotoxic substances are used in hospital for chemical treatment of cancers. Some chemotherapies can be performed at home. Chemotherapies are mostly injectable solutions. These chemicals can be cytotoxic (toxic for cells) or cytostatic substances.
What cytostatic molecules are commonly used and what is their impact on cells?
The great diversity of cytostatic molecules can be explained by the numerous cell components’ targets they have.
What are the protective measures to be taken ?
A lot of protective measures have been implemented in hospitals in which cytostatic substances are used.
When do cytostatic substances occur?
Health professionals’ exposure to cytostatic substances can occur at different stages of their manipulation: mainly during elaboration and reconstitution of chemotherapy drugs or during their administration to the patient.
Where to handle cytostatic chemicals?
Handling of such chemicals in dedicated laboratories inside the hospital equipped with fumehoods or glove boxes is recommended. Centralized preparation of chemotherapies in such laboratories prevent dispersion of cytostatic chemicals through the hospital.
Why is it important to take individual and collective preventive and protective measures to protect the manipulating workers?
As individual consequences of a chronic exposure to cytostatics are still difficult to evaluat e, it is important to take individual and collective preventive and protective measures to protect the manipulating workers and prevent contact with CMR agents (carcinogenic, mutagenis and toxic for reproduction).
Abstract
Although use of chemical weapons has low probability, it can cause a large scale casualties among exposed people if it is used. These kind of weapons have been used by human being since ancient history. However, the first large scale usage started with World War I followed by World War II.
References (35)
Background: Several years of war with the recent terrorist conflicts have cumulatively affected Iraq’s land, air, water, and health infrastructure, and a substantial rise in the incidence of congenital defects has been reported in the period following the Gulf War in 1991, which was principally accredited to the environmental contamination by depleted uranium.
What is the role of chemistry in cancer?
This letter is to point out that chemistry plays the central role in the etiology and prevention of the most prevalent types of human cancer. The chemical agents responsible for the initiation of cancer are the estrogens. They become carcinogenic when their unbalanced metabolism in our bodies generates excessive amounts of estrogen-3,4-quinones.
When did cancer research start?
When we began conducting cancer research in the 1970s , chemical carcinogenesis played a relevant role in cancer research, supported by the National Cancer Institute. Unfortunately, appreciation of the role of chemistry in carcinogenesis was lost, and NCI dissolved the chemical carcinogenesis branch.
How do quinones become carcinogenic?
They become carcinogenic when their unbalanced metabolism in our bodies generates excessive amounts of estrogen-3,4-quinones. When that happens, the estrogen-3,4-quinones react with DNA, forming depurinating estrogen-DNA adducts that generate the mutations leading to the initiation of cancer.
What is a chemical weapon?
Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons. Types of Chemical Agents. A Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties. Munitions, devices and other equipment specifically designed to weaponise toxic chemicals also fall under the definition of chemical weapons.
Where is the legal definition of chemical weapons?
The full and legal definition of a Chemical Weapon can be found in Article II of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
What are toxic chemicals produced by living organisms?
Toxins are toxic chemicals produced by living organisms. These are considered as both chemical and biological weapons when used in violation of the Convention. Toxins are toxic chemicals produced by living organisms. These are considered as both chemical and biological weapons when used in violation of the Convention.
Why are toxic chemicals covered by the CWC?
Toxins are covered by the CWC because they are chemicals that can have chemical weapons applications, and fall under the definitions listed above for chemical weapons and toxic chemicals.
What is a CW?
A common conception of a chemical weapon (CW) is of a toxic chemical contained in a delivery system such as a bomb or artillery shell. While technically correct, a definition based on this conception would only cover a small portion of the range of things the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) prohibits as ‘chemical weapons’.
What is toxic chemical?
Toxic chemicals are defined as ‘any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals’.
What are some examples of CWs?
Examples of CWs include, but are not limited to: Fully developed chemical weapons and the components of such weapons when stored separately (e.g. binary munitions). Chemicals used to produce chemical weapons (precursors). Chemicals used to cause intentional death or harm.
When were chemical weapons first used?
Chemical weapons first were used in 1915 , when the German military released 168 tons of chlorine gas at Ypres, Belgium, killing an estimated 5,000 Allied troops. Two years later, the same battlefields saw the first deployment of sulfur mustard. Sulfur mustard was the major cause of chemical casualties in World War I.
What are the potential sources of exposure to chemical agents?
Industrial accidents are a significant potential source of exposure to chemical agents. Chemicals such as phosgene, cyanide, anhydrous ammonia, and chlorine are used widely. These chemicals are frequently transported by industry. The accidental release of a methylisocyanate cloud (composed of phosgene and isocyanate) was implicated in the Bhopal, India, disaster in 1984.
How many conflicts have CWAs been used in?
CWAs have been used in at least 12 conflicts since, including the first Persian Gulf War (Iraq-Iran War). The Iraqi military also used chemical weapons against the Iraqi Kurds during the second Persian Gulf War.
What are the 5 nerve agents?
The 5 nerve agents, tabun (GA), sarin (GB), soman (GD), cyclohexylsarin (GF), and V X, have chemical structures similar to the common organophosphate pesticide Malathion. These agents initially stimulate and then paralyze certain nerve transmissions throughout the body and cause other toxic effects such as seizures.
What is the role of medical management in emergency response?
Medical management: Ideally, emergency personnel will wear personal protective equipment, decontaminate the victims immediately, provide medical support to the victims and provide specific antidotes to counteract the harmful effects.
Can a doctor treat cyanide?
Supportive and specific therapy: Doctors will first make sure exposed victims are able to breathe. For many chemical warfare agents, doctors can only treat the symptoms they produce. But specific, well-established antidotes are available for nerve agent and cyanide exposures.
Is chemical weapons still being produced?
Although a number of international treaties have banned the development, production, and stockpiling of chemical weapons, these agents reportedly are stillbeing produced or stockpiled in several countries.
What is chemical warfare?
Among the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), chemical warfare (CW) is probably one of the most brutal created by mankind. CW agents are extremely toxic synthetic chemicals that can be dispersed as a gas, liquid or aerosol or as agents adsorbed to particles to become a powder. These CW agents have either lethal or incapacitating effects on humans.[1] They differ from explosive chemicals in which the destructive effects are caused by shear force and are localized. Thousands of toxic substances are known, but only some of them are considered as CW agents based on their characteristics, viz. high toxicity, imperceptibility to senses and rapidity of action after dissemination and persistency, and are listed as scheduled chemicals in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).[2] According to the CWC, chemical weapons are defined as toxic chemicals and their precursors, munitions and devices, and any equipment specifically designed for use directly in connection with such weapons.
What are CW agents?
The CW agents possess different characteristics and belong to various classes of compounds with pronounced physicochemical, physiological and chemical properties .[14,15] Thus, they are classified in many ways. Based on their volatility, they are classified as persistent or non-persistent agents. The more volatile an agent, the quicker it evaporates and disperses. The more volatile agents like chlorine, phosgene and hydrogen cyanide are non-persistent agents whereas the less volatile agents like sulfur mustard and Vx are persistent agents. Based on their chemical structure, they can be classified as organophosphorus (OP), organosulfur and organofluorine compounds and arsenicals. In general, classification in terms of physiological effects produced on humans by the CW agents is used for many decades. Thus, the CW agents used in warfare are classified as follows:
How to treat phosgene poisoning?
Treatment of phosgene poisoning is essentially palliative. The main objective of the treatment is to prevent the development of pulmonary edema and other secondary effects arising out of anoxia. Treatment is extended in three steps. Under first aid, the victim should be allowed fresh air and should be kept warm. The treatment is phased in a manner to provide basic therapy within 30 min of exposure followed by selected additional therapy. Immediate medical aid involves artificial respiration along with the administration of cortisone (he xamethasone or beclamethasone) and sodium bicarbonate assisted by positive pressure breathing. Coughing worsens the prognosis and can be suppressed with codeine. Sedatives are not recommended. Antibiotic therapy is recommended when bronchitis or pneumonitis develops. The selected additional therapy includes supplementary oxygen and i.v. injection of sodium bicarbonate. Relief from airway obstruction may be achieved by theophylline and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) followed by surfactant supplementation with dipamitoyl phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol palmitate aerosols. Intensive care and supervision is required for more than 24 h.[54–56]
What is the best treatment for nerve agent poisoning?
The treatment of nerve agent poisoning requires constant attention by the medical personnel.[23–26] Three drugs, atropine, pralidoxime chloride and diazepam, are used to treat nerve agent exposure. Atropine competes with ACh for the muscuranic ACh receptors and thus helps to protect accumulation of excess ACh during nerve agent poisoning. Atropine is active against all nerve agents. Thus, atropine should be administered immediately and should be repeated, starting with an initial dose of 2 mg intramuscularly or intravenously. The administration of atropine should be continued till it is adequate, as indicated by dryness of mucosa of nose and mouth, and an increase in heart rate. The dosage of atropine should not hinder the performance of a non-intoxicated individual. Side-effects of 2 mg atropine in a normal individual are increased heart rate, drying of secretions, mydriasis (dilatation of pupil) and paralysis of accommodation. Most of the effects are reversible. 2-pyridine aldoxime chloride (2-PAM or pralidoxime) is used for the nicotinic effects of nerve agents, which include muscle fascilation followed by depolarization paralysis.[24] Sometimes, 2-PAM helps to regenerate AChE, thereby restoring muscle repolariztion. Other than pralidoxime, obidoxime, also known as toxogonin, can also be used. But, these oximes are not effective for Soman poisoning. For this, H-series oximes are preferred (HI-6). The oximes should be administered in combination with atropine. The dose of pralidoxime chloride is 15–25 mg/kg by slow intravenous injection. The usual dose of toxogonin is 300 mg. Because these oximes are quickly excreted, further doses may be needed. The convulsions induced by nerve agent poisoning may cause brain damage. Diazepam is used as an adjunct to reduce the convulsions. The usual dose of diazepam is 5–10 mg, intramuscularly. It is important that the antidotes should be administered very quickly in the field itself in the form of first aid.
What are the effects of nerve agents?
They include constriction of the pupil (meiosis), increased production of saliva, running nose, increased perspiration, urination, defecation, bronchosecretion, bronchoconstriction, decreased heart rate and blood pressure, muscular twitches and cramps, cardiac arrhythmias, tremors and convulsions. The most critical effects are paralys is of the respiratory muscles and inhibition of the respiratory center. Ultimately, death results due to respiratory paralysis. If the concentration of the nerve agent is high, death is immediate.
How do nerve agents exert their biological effects?
The mode of action of nerve agents is well documented in the literature.[19–22] Nerve agents exert their biological effects by irreversibly inhibiting the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase (AChE). This enzyme is responsible for hydrolyzing acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter liberated at the nerve synapse, nerve–muscle (neuromuscular) junction and nerve–gland junction. In a normal individual, a small quantity of ACh is continuously liberated and hydrolyzed by AChE. Inhibition of AChE causes accumulation of Ach, leading to overexcitation or paralysis. As soon as the nerve agents enter the system, symptoms of poisoning appear.
Why are nerve agents called nerve agents?
Nerve agents acquired their name because they affect the functioning of the nervous system. Nerve agents do not occur naturally and belong to a group of OP compounds. The first known nerve agent, Tabun (GA), was first developed by the German chemist, Gerhard Schrader, in the 1930s during his research in the development of new OP insecticides. Following this, a series of nerve agents known as the G-agents, which include Sarin (GB) and Soman (GD), were developed. Germany had stockpiles of nerve agent munitions during World War II, but did not use them.[15] A variety of nerve agents were developed till 1960 for military use. Much importance was given to increase their potency and environmental persistence. Thus, the V-agents, as more stable versions of the “G” agents, were developed. Thus VX, a sulfur-containing OP, is more potent than sarin, is more stable, less volatile and less water-soluble, acting through direct skin contact, and persisting in the environment up to several weeks after release. Nerve agents are more toxic than the other reported CW agents. They are highly toxic and can cause death within few minutes to few hours after exposure, depending on the concentration. Nerve agents were not used during World War II. The only known battlefield use of nerve agents was in the Iraq-Iran conflict during the 1980–8 war; Iraq reportedly used nerve agents against Iranian troops and later against members of its Kurdish population in northern Iraq.[16] The chemical structures and some of the properties of the more powerful nerve agents are given below [Figure 1, Table 1].[17,18]