GB Absorbtion Data

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Medical Management of Chemical Casualties Handbook

Chemical Casualty Care Office

Medical Research Institute Of Chemical Defense

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010

September 1995

Nerve Agents

CLINICAL EFFECTS

The initial effects of exposure to a nerve agent depend on the dose and the route of exposure. The initial effects from a sublethal amount of agent by vapor exposure are different from the initial effects from a similar amount of liquid agent on the skin.

Toxicities:The estimated amounts to cause certain effects in man are shown in Table I and Table II. In Table I, L indicates lethal, I indicates incapacitating (severe), and M indicates miosis. The large amounts of GA and GB required to produce effects after skin application reflect the volatility of these agents. They evaporate rather than penetrate the skin. However, if these agents are occluded and prevented from evaporating, they penetrate the skin very well.

Table I

Vapor toxicity

mg-min/m3

Agent

LCt50

ICt50

MCt50

GA

400

300

2-3

GB

100

75

3

GD

70

UNK

<1

GF

UNK

UNK

<1

VX

50

35

0.04

 

Table II

LD50 on skin

Agent

Amount

GA

1000 mg

GB

1700 mg

GD

50 mg

GF

30 mg

VX

10 mg

GB, the agent studied most thoroughly in man, will cause miosis, rhinorrhea, and a feeling of tightness in the throat or chest at a Ct of 3 to 5 mg-min/m3.

Effects: Exposure to a small amount of nerve agent vapor causes effects in the eyes, nose, and airways. These effects are from local contact of the vapor with the organ and do not indicate systemic absorption of the agent. In this circumstance, the erythrocyte-ChE may be normal or depressed. A small amount of liquid agent on the skin causes systemic effects initially in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Lethal amounts of liquid or vapor cause a rapid cascade of events culminating within a minute or two with loss of consciousness and convulsive activity followed by apnea and muscular flaccidity within several more minutes.


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Creation Date: Wednesday, July 8, 1998
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 8, 1998
Copyright © Ray Smith, 1998