Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
> "Real" Deal about Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Attacks
>
> Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of
> chemical,
> biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and
> keep things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons,
> munitions, and training expert.
>
> Lesson number one: In the mid 1990's there were a series of nerve gas
> attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for
> an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured (the injured were
> better in a few hours) and only one percent of the injured died. 60
> Minutes
> once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve gas could kill a
> thousand people; well he didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop
> was theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was
> to
> keep the recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill
> Sergeant
> too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in
> a
> novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again out
> loud!)! These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will
> probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their
> "Experts," make it sound.
>
> 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 anything. When you leave the area you almost
> always leave the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and
> the risk; soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why
> they need all that spiffy gear. These are not gasses; they are vapors
> and/or
> air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity
> to
> kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used. Every day we have a
> morning and evening inversion where "stuff," suspended in the air gets
> pushed down. This inversion is why allergies (pollen) and air pollution
> are
> worst at these times of the day. So, a chemical attack will have it's best
> effect an hour of so either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and
> airborne particles they are heavier than air so they will seek low places
> like ditches, basements and underground garages. This stuff won't work
> when
> it's freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin
> too fast. They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it
> for it to work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high
> enough to kill or wound you.
> Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's wasted. What I hope you've
> people is incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and equipment
> so
> you can imagine how hard it will be for terrorists. The more you know
> about
> this stuff the more you realize how hard it is to use.
>
> We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house;
> plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. 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 you if you
> get
> it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to inhale it. If
> you
> don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area you're probably
> gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and
> pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve
> agent, they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five
> minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh
> air
> and staying calm. Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent
> poisoning.
> Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have
> pinpointed pupils), Runny nose, Excessive saliva or drooling, Difficulty
> breathing, Tightness in chest, Nausea, Stomach cramps, Twitching of
> exposed
> skin where a liquid just got on you.
>
> If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask
> yourself, did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did
> someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too?
> Is
> there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor
> where it shouldn't be? If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you
> breathe faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up
> wind,
> or, outside. Fresh air is the best "right now antidote". If you have a
> blob
> of liquid that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or
> scrape
> it off and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff works
> based on your bodyweight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt
> you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the
> residue off the ground for while. Remember they have to do all the work,
> they have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several minutes
> while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit breathing it by
> putting space between you and the attack.
>
> Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to
> provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same
> as
> nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something and
> folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are
> bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are blue
> lips,
> blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's antidote is
> amylnitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just keeps your body
> working for five minutes till the toxins are used up. Fresh air is the
> your
> best individual chance
>
> Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to even
> handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely and
> may
> have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also
> limited
> to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get large, painful
> blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them, if you must, don't let
> the
> liquid from the blister get on any other area, the stuff just keeps on
> spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the target. Soap,
> water,
> sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
>
> Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
> chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you,
> to
> heard you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area
> and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the
> stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver
> on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get
> better
> if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air really deal this
> stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your
> life. The odds are really on your side.
>
> Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth.
> The
> effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see
> a
> bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the
> ground!
> The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one
> out
>
>
> Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of
> chemical,
> biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and
> keep things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons,
> munitions, and training expert.
>
> Lesson number one: In the mid 1990's there were a series of nerve gas
> attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for
> an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured (the injured were
> better in a few hours) and only one percent of the injured died. 60
> Minutes
> once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve gas could kill a
> thousand people; well he didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop
> was theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was
> to
> keep the recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill
> Sergeant
> too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in
> a
> novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again out
> loud!)! These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will
> probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their
> "Experts," make it sound.
>
> 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 anything. When you leave the area you almost
> always leave the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and
> the risk; soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why
> they need all that spiffy gear. These are not gasses; they are vapors
> and/or
> air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity
> to
> kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used. Every day we have a
> morning and evening inversion where "stuff," suspended in the air gets
> pushed down. This inversion is why allergies (pollen) and air pollution
> are
> worst at these times of the day. So, a chemical attack will have it's best
> effect an hour of so either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and
> airborne particles they are heavier than air so they will seek low places
> like ditches, basements and underground garages. This stuff won't work
> when
> it's freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin
> too fast. They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it
> for it to work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high
> enough to kill or wound you.
> Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's wasted. What I hope you've
> people is incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and equipment
> so
> you can imagine how hard it will be for terrorists. The more you know
> about
> this stuff the more you realize how hard it is to use.
>
> We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house;
> plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. 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 you if you
> get
> it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to inhale it. If
> you
> don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area you're probably
> gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and
> pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve
> agent, they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five
> minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh
> air
> and staying calm. Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent
> poisoning.
> Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have
> pinpointed pupils), Runny nose, Excessive saliva or drooling, Difficulty
> breathing, Tightness in chest, Nausea, Stomach cramps, Twitching of
> exposed
> skin where a liquid just got on you.
>
> If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask
> yourself, did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did
> someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too?
> Is
> there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor
> where it shouldn't be? If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you
> breathe faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up
> wind,
> or, outside. Fresh air is the best "right now antidote". If you have a
> blob
> of liquid that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or
> scrape
> it off and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff works
> based on your bodyweight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt
> you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the
> residue off the ground for while. Remember they have to do all the work,
> they have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several minutes
> while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit breathing it by
> putting space between you and the attack.
>
> Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to
> provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same
> as
> nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something and
> folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are
> bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are blue
> lips,
> blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's antidote is
> amylnitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just keeps your body
> working for five minutes till the toxins are used up. Fresh air is the
> your
> best individual chance
>
> Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to even
> handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely and
> may
> have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also
> limited
> to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get large, painful
> blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them, if you must, don't let
> the
> liquid from the blister get on any other area, the stuff just keeps on
> spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the target. Soap,
> water,
> sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
>
> Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
> chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you,
> to
> heard you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area
> and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the
> stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver
> on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get
> better
> if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air really deal this
> stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your
> life. The odds are really on your side.
>
> Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth.
> The
> effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see
> a
> bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the
> ground!
> The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one
> out
>
