What is it

Sarin is a manufactured compound that is toxic to humans. It is colorless, odorless and tasteless; it also is highly volatile and highly lethal, occurring both as a liquid and vaporized as a gas. The gas, which is 26 times more deadly than cyanide gas, causes severe damage to the respiratory system, and difficulty breathing may render the victim unconscious. Sarin is rapidly absorbed through the skin, but vaporized sarin is mainly absorbed through the respiratory tract and conjunctiva. Most victims encounter vaporized sarin, which affects the eyes and the respiratory system. Six-tenths of a milligram of sarin is enough to kill an adult.

Sarin was developed by Nazi scientists in Germany in the 1930s. It was named for its four discoverers: Schrader, Ambrose, Rudriger and Van der Linde.

The United States began producing sarin in the early 1950s; production ceased in 1956. It was produced and stockpiled in large quantities by both the United States and the Soviet Union.

In 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo sect released sarin in the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and injuring 5,500 people. In that attack, sarin was transported as a liquid, in packages that resembled lunch boxes or bottled drinks. The packages were then punctured with umbrellas and began to leak a thick liquid containing sarin.

Vaporized, sarin is slightly heavier than air, so it hovers near the ground. Humidity causes sarin to degrade, but warmer temperatures increase sarin's lethal duration, despite humidity.

Syntoms

Early symptoms include difficulty breathing, nausea, drowsiness, convulsions and miosis (pupils in the eye shrink to the size of pinpoints). Exposure can also result in bleeding from orifices - witnesses in the Tokyo attack said that victims had blood gushing from their noses and mouths.

The pupils narrow to pinpoints, harming vision. Drooling, runny nose, tears, tightness in chest, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, headache and convulsions are among other symptoms.

Death does not always come with a warning and may be caused by cardiac arrhythmia and respiratory arrest.

Testing

No information is available.

Recovery Potential

Those infected with sarin can be treated, but a potentially fatal dose requires swift treatment with injected antidotes. Recovery depends on degree of exposure to sarin and how rapidly medical treatment is provided. Death may occur within one to 10 minutes of inhalation exposure to a minute amount of sarin.

Prevention/Treatment

If sarin is released in the air, a person should try to hold his breath until a protective mask is put on. Those displaying severe symptoms would receive intravenous treatment with an antidote. If a person's breathing has stopped, CPR would be performed but not mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if the facial skin has been contaminated. If a person has difficulty breathing, oxygen would be administered. If a person's eyes have been exposed, they should be flushed with water for 10 to 15 minutes. If a person's skin has been exposed, he should don a protective mask and remove clothing, then wash the skin with copious amounts of soap and water or a solution of 5 percent household bleach. Medical attention should be sought under any of the above circumstances.

Environmental Cleanup

Because sarin is highly volatile, people involved in its disposal wear protective suits and masks. The Army has been destroying its cache of sarin by detonating bomblets in large, open chambers, then using a caustic chemical to neutralize the nerve gas.