Sarin gas effects on humans. Sarin killer. Who invented this gas and why? Attempted chemical weapons attack in Iraq

Sarin is a toxic chemical that many people remember from life safety lessons. This ether was classified as a weapon of mass destruction in 1991, although it began to be used much earlier. Sarin, like many other chemical warfare agents, is part of the group of nerve-paralytic mixtures that cause severe symptoms, including death.

History of discovery and application

In 1938, scientists from one of the German chemical companies, while developing another insecticide, obtained an unusual substance that could disrupt the functioning of the human central nervous system. The mixture received code number 146 and was sent to the military industry. Thus, chemical weapons based on isopropyl methyl fluorophosphate (this is the full name of the substance, which fully explains the nature of its origin) began to be produced.

This is interesting: Sarin received its simplified name from the first books of four developers: Schrader, Ambros, Ritter and Van der Linde. From the last surname, the second and third letters were taken to create the ending –in.

Despite the proximity of the invention of sarin to World War II, Germany did not use it in combat. The reason for this was the order of Adolf Hitler, who had a negative attitude towards various types of poisonous gases (it is known that the German Fuhrer seriously damaged his eyesight because of them during his participation in the First World War).

By the time World War II ended, sarin-based chemical warfare agents had already spread throughout the world. Great Britain, the USSR and the USA also adopted it, but no cases of use of the substance were recorded.

The first victims of sarin

In 1953, the fact of testing sarin on humans gained public resonance because the test subject died during the experiment. The case was fabricated and presented in court as an accident, but in narrow circles they knew that the cause of the fatal poisoning was precisely the effect of sarin.

Sarin began to be used on a large scale by Iraq during the war with Iran. A massive gas attack in the spring of 1988 killed about 7,000 people, almost 90% of whom were civilians.

A variety of chemical warfare agents were used in the attack, including sarin. People did not have time to feel any symptoms and died almost instantly, because the gases spread along the ground and their concentration was very high.

Impact of Sarin on Humans

Under normal conditions, sarin is a liquid substance that evaporates easily and has no odor. Due to the latter property, sarin cannot be smelled in the air, so poisoning can only be determined when symptoms appear. The minimum concentration that causes signs of poisoning is only 0.0005 mg per cubic decimeter of air. If there is 150 times more sarin (0.075 mg), then death occurs when a person remains in the contaminated zone for one minute.

Sarin can also have a toxic effect in liquid form. The critical dose is 24 mg per 1 kg of human weight when the substance comes into contact with the skin. If sarin gets into the oral cavity, then 0.14 mg per 1 kg of weight is enough for a person to experience symptoms that are difficult to compatible with life.

This is interesting: The solidification temperature of sarin is -57 °C. This property allows the substance to be used for purposes of mass destruction even in winter and in areas with cold climates.

Almost all chemical warfare agents are aimed at damaging the human nervous system. A characteristic physiological feature of sarin is its ability to bind many enzymes. In particular, a special protein, cholinesterase, is affected, which, under the influence of sarin, changes its modification and can no longer perform its main function - supporting the functioning of nerve fibers.

Symptoms of poisoning

No one is safe from sarin poisoning. Because it is unknown who, when and for what purpose will decide to massively use SDYAV (potently toxic substances). Poisoning occurs through inhalation of steam, as a result of absorption through the skin, and through ingestion of contaminated water or food.

Mild degree

Symptoms of poisoning with a small amount of sarin or with a low concentration of the substance in the air are difficult to distinguish from signs of intoxication with other poisonous gases. These are shortness of breath, chest pain, general weakness, fog.

Average degree

Signs of damage from sarin at higher concentrations are more pronounced. The most obvious symptom is pupil constriction. It turns into a black dot; At the same time, my eyes hurt very much, tears flow. There is also a headache.

Gradually, the poisoned person develops a feeling of fear, cold sweat appears, and the larynx seizes a spasm. This leads to severe shortness of breath, asthma attacks, as well as nausea and vomiting. The heart also reacts to all these changes: the frequency of its contractions increases, muscle twitching begins, turning into tremors. Urinary and fecal incontinence is also possible.

Attention! The probability of death from moderate sarin poisoning is 50%. But if assistance is not provided in a timely manner, the risk increases to almost 100%.

Severe degree

Occurs when a large amount of sarin in a critical concentration enters the body. The symptoms are the same as for moderate poisoning, but they appear very quickly and severely. The pain in the eyes and head becomes excruciatingly unbearable. Vomiting begins, urine and feces are released. After 1-2 minutes the victim loses consciousness. At the same time, his body is shaken by convulsions that turn into paralysis. After 5-10 minutes, the respiratory center is paralyzed and the person dies.

How to help someone who has been poisoned by sarin

First aid and further treatment will be effective only for mild to moderate poisoning. A severe degree is 100% fatal, because everything happens very quickly.

If signs of sarin poisoning are detected, actions should be taken in a certain algorithm.

1. Remove the victim from the source of damage or provide him with personal protective equipment (gas mask, special suit). Before putting all this on, you should get rid of contaminated clothing and wash your face with liquid from an individual anti-chemical bag or a solution of tea soda.
2. Inject the poisoned person with an antidote into the muscle. The antidote for sarin poisoning is anticholinergic drugs, for example, atropine. A 0.1% solution is administered: 2 cubes for a mild degree of poisoning and 4 cubes for a moderate degree. Atropine should be administered every 10 minutes until improvement occurs (the pupils should dilate, the cramps should disappear, the pain should decrease).
3. Next, treatment is carried out with additional drugs, including praldoxime, dipyroxime, toxagonin, diazepam, etc. They will stop seizures and restore cholinesterase activity.

Possible consequences

Even if assistance is provided in a timely manner and the treatment is carried out efficiently, the consequences of exposure to sarin poisoning still affect the body. If this is a mild degree, then the person loses working capacity for at least 5 days. This is followed by a week-long recovery period, when the body begins to get rid of pain and recover. In case of moderate sarin poisoning, the victim cannot work and adequately perceive the world around him for 2 weeks. Plus 4 weeks for rehabilitation.

Nerve agents can affect humans through any route of entry into the body. With mild inhalation damage, blurred vision, constriction of the pupils of the eyes (miosis), difficulty breathing, a feeling of heaviness in the chest (retrosternal effect), and increased secretion of saliva and mucus from the nose are observed. These phenomena are accompanied by severe headaches and can last from 2 to 3 days. When the body is exposed to lethal concentrations of 0B, severe miosis, suffocation, profuse salivation and sweating occur, a feeling of fear, vomiting and diarrhea, convulsions that can last several hours, and loss of consciousness appear. Death occurs from respiratory and cardiac paralysis.

When exposed through the skin, the pattern of damage is basically similar to that caused by inhalation. The difference is that symptoms appear after some time (from several minutes to several hours). In this case, muscle twitching appears at the site of contact with 0V, then convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.

First aid. The affected person must put on a gas mask (if an aerosol or droplet of 0B gets on the skin of the face, the gas mask is put on only after treating the face with liquid from the PPI). Administer the antidote using a syringe tube with a red cap from an individual first aid kit and remove the affected person from the contaminated atmosphere. If the convulsions are not relieved within 10 minutes, re-administer the antidote. If breathing stops, perform artificial respiration. If 0V gets on the body, immediately treat the infected areas with PPI. If 0B gets into the stomach, it is necessary to induce vomiting, if possible, rinse the stomach with a 1% solution of baking soda or clean water, rinse the affected eyes with a 2% solution of baking soda or clean water. Affected personnel are transported to a medical station.

The presence of nerve agent 0V in the air, on the ground, in weapons and military equipment is detected using chemical reconnaissance devices (indicator tube with a red ring and dot) and gas detectors. AP-1 indicator film is used to detect VX aerosols.

Sarin (GB)

Sarin (GS) is a colorless or yellowish volatile liquid, practically odorless, and does not freeze in winter. Miscible with water and organic solvents in any ratio, soluble in fats. It is resistant to water, which causes contamination of stagnant bodies of water for a long time - up to 2 months. When it comes into contact with human skin, uniforms, shoes and other porous materials, it is quickly absorbed into them.

Sarin is used to destroy manpower by contaminating the ground layer of air through short fire raids by artillery, missile strikes and tactical aircraft. The main combat state is steam. Under average meteorological conditions, sarin vapors can spread downwind up to 20 km from the place of application. Durability of sarin (in funnels): in summer - several hours, in winter - up to 2 days.

When units operate military equipment in an atmosphere contaminated with sarin, gas masks and a combined arms comprehensive protective kit are used for protection. When operating in contaminated areas on foot, additionally wear protective stockings. When staying for a long time in areas with high levels of sarin vapor, it is necessary to use a gas mask and a general protective kit in the form of overalls. Protection against sarin is also ensured by the use of sealed equipment and shelters equipped with filter-ventilation units. Sarin vapor can be absorbed by uniforms and, after leaving the contaminated atmosphere, evaporate, contaminating the air. Therefore, gas masks are removed only after special treatment of uniforms, equipment and control of air contamination.

The first signs of sarin damage are observed at concentrations of about 0.0005 mg/l after a minute (constriction of the pupils of the eyes, difficulty breathing). The lethal concentration in the air is 0.07 mg/l. with exposure 1 min. The lethal concentration for resorption through the skin is 0.12 mg/l. There are antidotes, such as atropine. Protection against sarin - gas mask and protective clothing.

The use of chemical warfare agents is rightfully considered one of the most brutal methods of destruction with which humanity became acquainted during the First World War. Despite the fact that today there is an international ban on the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction, terrible episodes still happen. One of the gases used for combat purposes is soman.

What kind of substance is this and what physicochemical properties does it have? How is soman used and are there ways to protect against it? What to do if you are poisoned by this gas and what are the possible consequences?

What is soman

Soman is a chemical warfare agent with a nerve-paralytic effect, belonging to the group of organophosphorus compounds.

The history of the discovery of soman is connected with the period of World War II. In 1936, German chemist Gerhard Schrader (1903–1990) accidentally invented a toxic substance called tabun while he and a group of other scientists were studying organophosphates in order to subsequently develop a new pesticide. But the resulting product, as it turned out, was highly effective in fighting not only insects, but also had a detrimental effect on humans. This fact interested the German military and subsequent developments were carried out under their control.

The success of the herd forced them to create even stronger gases. Thus, in 1938, sarin appeared, which was 5–10 times more toxic than its predecessor, and in 1944, the German chemist Richard Johann Kuhn (1900–1967) invented soman, a substance very similar to sarin, but 2–3 times more powerful.

The terrible consequences of human exposure to nerve agents like soman finally led humanity to realize the need to impose a general ban on their use and in 1993, most countries in the world signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, where they pledged to stop their production and destroy all stockpiles . However, terrorist attacks using prohibited chemical warfare agents are still being carried out around the world.

Physicochemical characteristics

Soman belongs to esters - such substances are formed by the reaction of acids and alcohols. This process is called esterification. Soman is obtained as a result of the reaction of pinacolyl alcohol and methylfluorophosphonic acid derivatives - dichloroanhydrides and difluoroanhydrides.

The chemical formula of soman is C 7 H 16 FO 2 P. It is poorly soluble in water, but readily soluble in alcohols and ketones. Hydrolyzes slowly. It begins to decompose when the ambient temperature exceeds 190 °C.

Despite the fact that soman and similar substances are called gases, they are initially in a liquid state and have no color. The smell of soman, according to various sources, can be apple, camphor, or freshly cut hay.

All gases, being in liquid form, boil at high temperatures. The higher this indicator, the more stable the substance is and lasts longer on the ground. The boiling point of soman is 190 °C. For comparison, for sarin gases it is 151.5 °C, and for VX it is 300 °C.

The density of liquid soman at a temperature of 20 °C is 1.0131 g/cm3. The substance freezes at minus 80 °C, turning into a mass resembling glass.

Is Soman heavier or lighter than air? - its molecular weight is almost 6 times greater than that of oxygen.

Application

According to its characteristics, Soman belongs to chemical warfare agents and has a nerve-paralytic effect. Soman is used in combat using fragmentation shells. When such ammunition explodes, the poison breaks up into small droplets, forming a cloud, like an aerosol.

During the warm season, soman quickly evaporates, turning into gas. During the cold period, it condenses and is stored for a long time in the contaminated area. At the site of the shell explosion, a hole is formed, saturated with soman, where the soil remains toxic for a long time.

Soman easily poisons humans through the respiratory tract, but its ability to penetrate the skin is low. To increase this indicator, nerve gases began to be condensed - so when the ammunition ruptures, larger droplets are formed, which increases the chance of severe poisoning and death. The thickened (viscous) soman is called the VR-55 recipe. This is a universal chemical weapon from which it is difficult to find salvation.

Methods of protection

How to protect yourself from the effects of soman while in the affected area?

Basic measures include the use of a gas mask and chemical suit, as well as the use of skin protection and an antidote for poisoning.

A gas mask will prevent poison from entering the respiratory tract. However, it alone is not enough, since soman is able to penetrate the body through the skin - then intoxication will occur more slowly, but with the same effect. Therefore, in addition to a gas mask, it is also necessary to use chemical protective suits.

When leaving the area affected by soman, it is important to decontaminate the suit, since it has taken on the toxic substance and poses a danger to others. To disinfect it, use a silica gel degassing bag (DPS-1). Then you need to wash your body and put on clean linen and clothes.

If the stay in the affected area is prolonged, soman can penetrate even through a protective suit. In this case, it is necessary to periodically degas it and, if possible, change it.

To prevent and neutralize poisoning with nerve gases, antidotes and antagonist drugs are used. Some of them are administered immediately after the lesion, others are taken in advance.

The following antidotes are used against the action of soman:

• atropine;
• Athens;
• budaksim;
• pralidoxime;
• "Taren" (aprofen).

The latter drug is available in tablet form. They are taken half an hour before entering the affected area. Soman stimulates the cholinergic receptors of the nervous system, while Taren, on the contrary, blocks them.

At the same time, it must be remembered that these drugs have side effects on the body. “Taren” causes a feeling of intoxication, visual hallucinations, and disorientation. The person may become fearful, depressed, or aggressive. "Taren" is used in military medicine and to protect civilians from gas damage. It is not available for free sale; circulation is under state control.

Soman poisoning

The effect of poison on the human body occurs after soman enters the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract or skin. At the same time, it is difficult to quickly recognize intoxication, since soman has almost no period of latent action.

Its effect on the human body is approximately the same as after the use of sarin, but the poisoning is more severe, which is more difficult to treat.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of inhalation poisoning appear literally a minute after infection at a soman concentration of 0.0005 mg/l. Death occurs within 10 minutes when inhaling 0.003 mg/l of poison. The lethal dose for skin contact is about 2 mg/kg.

The first sign of soman poisoning is miosis, that is, constriction of the pupils, and the person also has difficulty breathing and feels heaviness in the chest.

There are three stages of soman intoxication, which are accompanied by the following symptoms.

1. Mild poisoning. 0.0005 mg/l of poison is enough to infect the human body. This degree of intoxication is accompanied by difficulty breathing, miosis, and chest heaviness. Victims say they see a grid before their eyes, blurred vision, and equally poor visibility of both close and distant objects. A person begins to have a runny nose, watery eyes and salivation increase, heart function accelerates, blood pressure rises, patients become nervous and restless.
2. Middle stage. With this kind of soman poisoning, similar symptoms appear, but in a more severe form. The person suffocates as if in asthma, experiences chest pain, and begins to drool profusely. The secretion of sweat increases, the skin becomes moist. Sometimes victims experience vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases, mental disorders are also observed - hallucinations, delusions.
3. Severe poisoning. This stage of soman damage is accompanied by the rapid onset of symptoms and their rapid development. In severe cases of intoxication, a person first begins to experience muscle twitching, so-called fibrillations, and then convulsive attacks. The victim either falls into a coma or is in stupor - an intermediate state. Convulsions result in incontinence. Breathing becomes rare, the heart works weakly. Death occurs within a few minutes.

The lethal dose of soman for humans due to inhalation is 0.03 mg/l. With such intoxication, help is useless. In cases of mild to moderate poisoning, there is a chance of saving the victim.

First aid and treatment

If contact with gas has already occurred, you need to act without delay. How to provide first aid to a victim of soman poisoning?

Treatment begins with intensive administration of atropine during the first hour after poisoning. This is done before side effects of this drug appear - dry mucous membranes and skin, dilated pupils. The dosage can be from 2 to 35 mg, depending on the severity of poisoning. The achieved result must be maintained, so patients are injected with reduced doses of the antidote for 2–4 days. Other, additional drugs are also used at this stage - scopolamine, platiphylline; diazepam is used to relieve anxiety and emotional stress.

Consequences and complications of poisoning

If the victim survives soman poisoning, the consequences and possible complications depend on how severe the intoxication was and what treatment was given.

Most often, with mild lesions, the patient recovers completely. But moderate and severe poisonings already cause significant damage. In both cases, a person feels the echoes of soman intoxication; the difference is only in the duration of this period.

1. In most cases, respiratory diseases appear - with mild poisoning, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia can develop.
2. Nervous system disorders - chronic fatigue syndrome (asthenia), apathy, decreased performance. Against the background of general weakness, the victims have no appetite, repeated heart pain, and the pulse fluctuates.

Severe soman poisoning leads to the most serious complications. After defeat, the symptoms of intoxication are long and severe. Pneumonia often develops. Possible death.

Soman is a dangerous gas created for use as a chemical weapon. Poisoning with this organophosphorus compound causes damage to health, including rapid death. If contact with it is inevitable, then only the use of a gas mask and a chemical protective suit, as well as timely first aid, will help you survive.

What is Sarin? Sarin gas is a chemical compound of organic origin, based on phosphorus. The poisonous isopropyl ether is a light, light, mobile liquid, colorless and odorless.

Sarin was discovered by scientists in 1938 during experiments with substances. Having discovered the chemical mixture, the researchers sent it to the military, who, having learned about the dangerous properties, began to widely use the gas as a weapon.

Sarin gas: application

The most common use of sarin gas is as a chemical weapon - a powerful poison that affects the motor and nervous systems. The substance can penetrate the body when it comes in contact with the skin, clothing, or shoes. Sarin threatens human life because it cannot be detected in the air.

The toxic substance sarin is used as a weapon of mass destruction, by striking with artillery shells or rockets. The environment is poisoned by sarin vapors, which can quickly spread to an area of ​​up to 20 km from the source of damage. The gas has strong resistance: in summer the duration of action is several hours, and in winter - up to 2 days.

You can protect yourself from sarin in highly hermetic shelters with filter-ventilation units. In this regard, equipment protecting against gas is allowed to be removed after specialized treatment and control of environmental poisoning.

Mechanism of action of sarin

The gas interacts with enzymes in the body that transmit signals to organs using nerve cells. The enzyme poisoned by the gas loses its functionality: an excited state of the organs is observed. This greatly wears out the body and leads to the cessation of its vital functions.

Sarin poisoning can be mild, moderate or severe. The classification depends on the dose of poison ingested.

The first degree of sarin poisoning is a mild damage to the body by the poison: increased fatigue is observed, pain in the eyes appears, and sleep disturbances appear. The victim may have constricted pupils and blurred vision. Symptoms at the first stage are not specific: general weakness in the body and shortness of breath are signs of intoxication with any toxic substance. The second degree of poisoning is characterized by penetration of the poison into the respiratory tract.

Symptoms of second degree poisoning:

1. Suffocation;
2. Abdominal pain;
3. Cold sweat;
4. Vomiting and nausea;
5. Urinary incontinence;
6. Loose stools;
7. Panic state.

At this stage, the victim requires ambulance, otherwise the condition becomes irreversible. To prevent the occurrence of chronic complications, urgent administration of an antidote is required.

In the third degree of poisonous gas damage, convulsions and paralysis are observed. The symptoms are similar to second-degree intoxication, but the nature of the manifestations is faster: the victim loses consciousness, the skin and mucous membranes become bluish, a sharp muscle contraction occurs, turning into a paralytic state. After a few minutes, breathing stops and death occurs.

Clinical symptoms of poisoning

The nerve gas sarin enters the body through the respiratory tract, skin and mucous membrane of the mouth. It is worth noting that a person does not notice poisoning until the primary symptoms appear.

The first signs of damage characteristic of sarin poisoning are practically no different from intoxication with any other gas.

Symptoms of damage to the body:

• Insufficient air supply;
• Blue color of the skin and mucous membranes;
• Nasal discharge;
• Heaviness in the thoracic region of the body;
• slurred speech, nervous restlessness;
• Tension of the neck veins;
• Fog and pain in the eyes;
• Abnormal stool;
• Cramping pain in the abdomen;
• Dizziness;
• Vomiting;
• Strong secretion of saliva;
• Trembling in muscles, convulsions;
• Respiratory and cardiac arrest;
• Fatal outcome.

In the initial stages of poisoning, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure are observed. Later, the heartbeat slows down and blood pressure decreases.

First aid and treatment

First aid is effective for mild to moderate sarin intoxication. A person with degree III poisoning can only be helped by qualified medical care and special medications.

Stages of assistance:

1. Limit a person’s interaction with poisonous gas, or provide him with special protective suits and a gas mask (respirator or gauze bandage). If you are intoxicated with sarin in a room, you must open windows and doors to reduce the concentration of gas in the air.
2. Dispose of affected clothing.
3. Wash exposed areas of the body using a special chemical solution in a bag, or prepare a solution from soda.
4. Inject an antidote intramuscularly: atropine sulfate, hyoscyamine sulfate or trihexyphenidyl. In the absence of antidotes, it is possible to use antiallergic drugs: domperidone, donormil, tavegil. The medication should be administered every 10 minutes until the patient’s condition improves (pupil dilation, breathing normalizes).
5. Therapy with drugs to stop muscle spasms: Sibazon; Pralidoxime; Isonitrozine.

With timely assistance, a person with moderate severity fully regains his strength. It is important to provide the patient with peace and access to fresh air.

Possible consequences of sarin poisoning

Sarin can accumulate in organs and have a toxic effect on nerve cells in humans and animals. It paralyzes and leads to the formation of numerous pathologies, and in large doses - to cardiac arrest.

At the first stage of poisoning, a person loses working capacity for several days. A medical examination is necessary to prevent unwanted consequences. Rehabilitation lasts a week. After the final removal of the poison from the body, a person’s health is gradually restored.

With moderate severity of poisoning, body functions are weakened for two weeks. With timely treatment, the risk of death is reduced. After one and a half to two months, the signs of poisoning are almost invisible.

Sarin is a dangerous poison; every person needs to know the characteristic symptoms of poisoning with this gas and how to provide first aid.

Video: top 5 most dangerous poisons

As a child, I was sure that the world had already experienced a nuclear war. Why? Because in many places I saw civil defense posters on the walls. The posters were amazing. An atomic (or worse, a hydrogen) bomb explodes in the air, and damaging radiation scatters in different directions from the bright ball of the flash. And on earth there is fear and horror. At the epicenter there is simply nothing, not even the ruins of houses. And then the affected areas spread out in circles. In the last of them, people in gas masks are sitting underground, rescuing someone from destroyed houses and evacuating them to a safe place.

As a child, you believe everything that is written and drawn. Hence the conclusion - there has already been a nuclear war, since artists know how to draw it.

There were also posters that were no less terrifying. Posters about bacteriological and chemical weapons. Thanks to the latter, the ringing names of poisonous gases were remembered: phosgene, tabun, soman, sarin.

What causes the damaging effects of sarin?

If phosgene was an asphyxiating gas, then the last three, including sarin, belonged to nerve gases.

What does this mean? This means that sarin interacts with one of the enzymes that is involved in the process of transmitting nerve signals through a chain of nerve cells, neurons. This enzyme is released at the end of the transmission of a nerve signal from one neuron to another and, as it were, “cleans up” those enzymes that contributed to the transmission of the impulse. It turns out that nerve cells work like push-button switches. When you press the button, the electrical circuit is closed. When the button is released, the circuit opens and no current flows.

However, after the interaction of the named enzyme with sarin, it stops working, and the enzymes that facilitate the transmission of nerve impulses remain in the same place. The button seems to “sink”, and the current continues to flow through the nerves. As a result, those organs to which nerve signals are sent are constantly in an excited state. This hyperactive state quickly exhausts the organs or muscle tissues and their function stops.

The first signs of poisoning

Therefore, the first signs of exposure to a nerve agent (including sarin) on a person are associated with an increase in the tone of various muscles and organs. The pupils narrow, and there is a feeling as if breathing is being blocked. Nasal discharge and increased salivation begin, and nausea appears. After a few more minutes, the victim completely loses control over all body functions. We can say that the body is “going haywire.” Vomiting, convulsions, convulsive spasms and, finally, cardiac arrest. Isn't it a cheerful picture? If an antidote is not introduced into the body within a few minutes, no god will help the victim.

Why is it called that?

The beautiful name “sarin” is an abbreviation of the names of its inventors, German chemists Schroeder ( S chrader), Ambros ( A mbros), Ritter ( R itter) and von der Linde (von der L in de). In 1938, the first two of them, employees of the IG Farben company, worked in the city of Wuppertal to improve insecticides (insect control products). During the work, they obtained a light, colorless, odorless liquid. The formula of this substance was transferred to the Wehrmacht, to the chemical weapons department. After conducting tests, army chemists (the last two in the above list) “gave the go-ahead”, so to speak, and the army ordered the chemical industry to produce this glorious substance. Sarin was produced and filled into shells.

Was sarin used in World War II?

But it did not come to the combat use of toxic substances. Hitler, while at the front during the First World War, was himself caught in a gas attack. It is clear that because of this he had a very negative attitude towards the use of chemical warfare agents. In addition, he feared, not without reason, that the Soviet army and allies could also start a gas war, or use asymmetrical means, for example, thermite shells. Germany did not have sufficiently reliable means of protection against chemical warfare agents. Therefore, during the Second World War, toxic substances were not used on the European front.

And then?

After World War II, sarin was produced by the military chemical industry in both the United States and the USSR. In 1953, 20-year-old British Air Force engineer Ronald Maddison was poisoned with sarin. They tested the effects of sarin on him, not telling him the truth, but telling him that he was taking part in a trial of a cure for the common cold. In 1953, Maddison's death was attributed to an "accident", but in 2004 a court decided that he was the victim of an inhumane experiment testing a nerve agent.

From 1980 to 1988, Iraq used sarin in its war against neighboring Iran and in its crackdown in the north of the country. It must be said that neither the Americans, nor even the Kurds forgave Saddam Hussein for this “feat.”

In March 1995, the Japanese religious sect Aum Shinrikyo sprayed sarin into the Tokyo subway. As a result of this gas attack, 12 people died and 54 were seriously poisoned.

It seems that toxic substances, including sarin, are now being used in military operations in Syria.

It must be said that another toxic substance, lewisite, is named after the inventor. This chemical warfare agent with blister action was named after the American chemist. Winford Lee Lewis 1879–1943.