Types of Chemical Weapons

Blistering Agents

Mustard agents were first used in World War I. They burn and blister the skin or any other part of the body they contact, including eyes and respiratory tract. Symptoms often appear several hours after exposure. Although not lethal in tiny doses like the nerve agents, these substances are easy to manufacture and no effective therapy is currently available for countering their effects.

Botulism Toxin and Ricin

Botulinum (botulism) toxin is made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum and is often discussed with bioweapons, although it does not contain living cells and can be used much like other chemical weapons. It is the most poisonous substance known. A single gram of toxin, if it were evenly dispersed and inhaled (which is not possible in "real world" conditions) would kill more than one million people. Experts worry, however, that terrorists might use an aerosol of the toxin or that they might deliberately contaminate food, causing an outbreak of botulism. In the body, the toxin prevents the release of acetylcholine into the neuromuscular system, causing muscle paralysis and death. Antitoxin can reduce the severity of symptoms if administered early in the course of the disease.

Ricin comes from the seeds of castor bean plants and is one of the most poisonous natural materials known. In 1978, a ricin-treated bullet was used to kill Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markow, who died within a day.

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