Sarin is a chemical compound, with chemical formula C4H10FO2P.
It is composed of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Fluorine (F), Oxygen (O), and Phosphorus (P).
Sarin is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. The extent of poisoning caused by sarin depends on the amount of sarin to which a person was exposed, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure. Symptoms likely will appear very soon after exposure.
This chemical has severe biological effects, along with others, that will prevent the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles, that will therefore be constantly stimulated. It will attack the nervous system and prevent nerve endings in muscles from switching off. Death will usually occur as a result of asphyxia due to the inability to control the muscles involved in breathing function.
Exposed people may become tired and no longer be able to keep breathing. Sarin is the most volatile (easily and quickly evaporate from a liquid into a vapor and spread into the environment) of the nerve agents. Because it evaporates so quickly, sarin presents an immediate but short-lived threat. People severely exposed to sarin are less likely to survive.
An example of when sarin was used is in 2004 when Iraqi insurgents detonated a 155 mm shell containing binary precursors for sarin near a U.S. convoy in Iraq. The shell was designed to mix the chemicals as it spins during flight, but released only a small amount of sarin gas, either because the explosion failed to mix the binary agents properly or because the chemicals inside the shell had degraded with age. Two United States soldiers were treated after displaying the early symptoms of exposure to sarin.
It is composed of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Fluorine (F), Oxygen (O), and Phosphorus (P).
Sarin is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. The extent of poisoning caused by sarin depends on the amount of sarin to which a person was exposed, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure. Symptoms likely will appear very soon after exposure.
This chemical has severe biological effects, along with others, that will prevent the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles, that will therefore be constantly stimulated. It will attack the nervous system and prevent nerve endings in muscles from switching off. Death will usually occur as a result of asphyxia due to the inability to control the muscles involved in breathing function.
Exposed people may become tired and no longer be able to keep breathing. Sarin is the most volatile (easily and quickly evaporate from a liquid into a vapor and spread into the environment) of the nerve agents. Because it evaporates so quickly, sarin presents an immediate but short-lived threat. People severely exposed to sarin are less likely to survive.
Sarin is a vapor, and therefore is heavier than air. It remains very low to the ground, and can affect animals and plants quite quickly and easily. Sarin degrades very quickly in the environment. However, as the temperature increases, Sarin's lethal duration increases. Treatment consists of removing sarin from the body as soon as possible and providing supportive medical care in a hospital setting. Antidotes are available for sarin. They are most useful if given as soon as possible after exposure.
References:
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-Medscape
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