What is nerve gas or nerve agent?
Q: What is nerve gas or nerve agent?
A: Nerve gas or nerve agent is a family of chemical poisons that work by changing the way the nerves work in the human body, stopping messages from the brain from getting sent to the muscles and organs.
Q: Why are they called nerve agents?
A: Usually, people call them nerve agents, although they are not always gases.
Q: What do nerve agents contain chemically?
A: Nerve agents are organic chemicals that have phosphorus in them (organophosphates).
Q: Are there other chemicals that have the same effects as nerve agents?
A: Many organophosphates, which are pesticides, also have the same effects as nerve agents if people are exposed to them, but they are not used against people as weapons like nerve agents are.
Q: What is the classification of nerve agents by the United Nations and why?
A: Nerve agents are classified as weapons of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN Resolution 687 since they are chemical weapons, and making or stockpiling them has been against international law since 1993.
Q: What are the effects of nerve agents on people who survive nerve agent poisoning?
A: Nerve agents have long-lasting effects, and people who survive nerve agent poisoning almost always have chronic damage to the brain and nerves, which can also cause mental health problems.
Q: Are nerve agents' effects reversible?
A: No, the damage caused by nerve agents is almost always chronic and irreversible, leading to long-lasting effects.
