RNBC WARFARE & NUC ENERGY

Meaning

R Radiological

N Nuclear

B Biological

C Chemical

more correctly called CBRN

CHEMICAL WARFARE

Definitions

Chemical weapon - a device that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm to human beings

Chemical agent - chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people and animals and plants

Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons.

Types of agents

Beased on physiological reactionNerve agent

Blister agent

Blood agent

Choking agent

Based on delivery air, missile, spray, bomb

Based on lethality lethal, disabling, crowd control

Based on duration - Persistent

Temporary

Nerve Agent

The nerve agents are a group of particularly toxic chemical warfare agents. They were developed just before and during World War II and are related chemically to the organophosphorus insecticides. In the pure state nerve agents are colorless and mobile liquids. The principle agents in this group are: GA - tabun GB - sarin GD - soman VX - methylphosphonothioic acidThe "G" agents tend to be non-persistent whereas the "V" agents are persistent.

Nerve Agent

The nerve agents kill in minutes through skin, eye or respiration.The rapid action of nerve agents call for immediate self treatment. Unexplained nasal secretion, salivation, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, constriction of pupils, muscular twitching, or nausea and abdominal cramps call for theimmediate intramuscular injection of 2 mg of atropine, combined if possible with oxime.

Blister Agents

Blister or vesicant agents are likely to be used both to produce casualties and to force opposing troops to wear full protective equipment thus degrading fighting efficiency, rather than to kill, although exposure to such agents can be fatal. Blister agents can be used to contaminate terrain, ships, aircraft, vehicles or equipment with a persistent hazard.Vesicants burn and blister the skin or any other part of the body they contact. They act on the eyes, mucous membranes, lungs, skin and blood-forming organs. They damage the respiratory tract when inhaled and cause vomiting and diarrhea when ingested.The vesicant agents include:HD - sulfur mustard, or yperite HN - nitrogen mustard L - lewisite (arsenical vesicants may be used in a mixture with HD) CX - phosgene (properties and effects are very different from other vesicants)

Choking agents

Chemical agents which attack lung tissue, primarily causing pulmonary edema, are classed as lung damaging agents. To this group belong: CG - phosgene DP - diphosgene Cl - chlorine PS - chloropicrinThe toxic action of phosgene is typical of a certain group of lung damaging agents. Phosgene is the most dangerous member of this group and the only one considered likely to be used in the future. Phosgene was used for the first time in 1915, and it accounted for 80% of all chemical fatalities during World War I.Phosgene is a colorless gas under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. It is an extremely volatile and non-persistent agent. Its vapor density is 3.4 times that of air. It may therefore remain for long periods of time in trenches and other low lying areas.

BLOOD AGENTS

The name blood agent, like those of other groups of agents, derives from its effect on victims. Blood agents are distributed via the blood and generally enter the body via inhalation. They inhibit the ability of blood cells to utilise and transfer oxygen. Thus, blood agents are poisons that effectively cause the body to suffocate. Examples of blood agents include: AC - Hydrogen Cyanide

CK - Cyanogen Chloride

SA - Arsine

INCAPACITATING AGENTS

They incapacitate the body by mental disturbances such as delerium or hallucination. 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate (BZ)

Phencyclidine (SN)

Lysergic acid diethylamide (K)

RIOT CONTROL AGENTS

Tear gas

Laughter gas

CS

CHEMICAL WARFARE CONVENTION

Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to as the Chemical Weapons Convention)

Signed in 1993 in Paris & New York

165 states signed

Prohibits chemical weapon use

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE

HistoryAntiquity Poisoning of wells

Tipping arrows to cause wound infection

Snake and scorpion pots

Middle agesPlague

Modern timesSmallpox in blankets

Exposing primitive peoples to new diseases

Plague fleas dropped by Japanese in China (Second Sino-Japanese War)

DEFINITIONS

Biological weapon - the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.

Biological weapons (often termed "bio-weapons" or "bio-agents") - are living organisms or replicating entities (viruses) that reproduce or replicate within their host victims.

Biological agents

Classification based on taxonomy -Bacteria (anthrax, plague tularemia )

Viruses (smallpox, ebola, marbola)

Biotoxins (botulism. ricin )

Based on targetAgainst humans (brucellosis)

Against animals (anthrax)

Based on lethality Lethal, incapacitating, debilitating

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE CONVENTION

Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to as the Biological Weapons Convention)

Signed in 1975 in London. Moscow & Washington

165 states signed

Prohibits biological weapon use

RADIOLOGICAL WARFARE

Definition - is any weapon that is designed to spread radioactive material with the intent to kill, and cause disruption upon a city or nation.

Effect cause widespread uncontrollable contamination.

Never been used.

Prohibited. Poor man's atomic weapon

Likely terrorist threat.

NUCLEAR WARFARE

NUCLEAR WARFARE

History -Race in World War II

Dropping of bombs in Hiroshima & Nagasaki in 1945

Nuclear weapons race post-war

Devp of H-Bomb in 1950s

Big five nuclear weapon states US, USSR, France, UK, China

Clandestine states Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea etc.

HIROSHIMA

First Atomic Explosion

World War II

Dropped by USA on Japan

Dropped by B29 Superfortress aircraft called Enola Gay

Weapon Fission, Kt with 64 kg Uranium , named Little Boy

64 kg uranium, 600 gms underwent fission, 0.6 gms converted to energy.

Casualties 90,000 to 1,66,000

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA

TYPES OF WEAPONS

Fission weapons

Fusion weapons

Others -Boosted Fission weapons

Neutron Bomb

Salted Bomb

YIELD

Expressed in tons of TNT explosive equivalent1 kiloton= 1000 tons of TNT

Megaton = 1000,000 tons of TNT

Yield of Hiroshima weapon 13 to 18 kiloton

Yield of Nagasaki Weapon 21 kiloton

Fissile material used Uranium, Plutonium

EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSION

Shock

Blast

Thermal radiation

Nuclear radition Instant

Residual

Electro-magnetic pulse

Ionising raditaion

Earthquake

TREATIES

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty

Missile Control Technology Regime

IAEC

Nuclear Weapons Suppliers Group

Any Questions

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