Page 56 - MILITARY-STUDIES-2

Module -V
Chemical Warfare
Warfare and
They are further classified as:- Its Types
(i) Nose (Vomiting) Agents: These cause irritation in the nose and throat,
which can lead to vomiting.

(ii) Mental Incapacitates: These cause temporary mental disturbances,
usually preceded or accompanied by physical effects.
Note
(iii) Physical Incapacitates: These cause temporary effects such as fainting
or paralysis, unaccompanied by mental effects.

(c) Riot Control Agents: Agents selected and approved for use when giving aid
to the civil power and in similar operations. These are mostly the incapacitating
agents such as CS. These are also referred to as 'tear' agents. These cause
irritation of the eyes, flow of tears and a stinging sensation.

Intext Questions 14.1

1. Fill in the blanks.

(a) The criteria used to classify the chemical agents are _________, ________
and ___________.
(b) ________________ agents are used when giving aid to the civil power
and in similar operations.
(c) From the point of view of duration of effect, the agents may be classified
as _____________ and ______________.

(d) The most dangerous of the lethal chemical agents are the ______________
agents.
(e) ______________ agents cause inflammation, blistering of the skin and
superficial destruction of contaminated internal tissue, e.g., the lining of the
breathing passage.

2. Differentiate between persistent and non-persistent chemical agents.

14.5 Characteristics of Agents

The main groups i.e., the Nerve, Blister, Blood, Choking and Incapacitating (Vomiting
Agent) are discussed in the succeeding paragraphs.

I. Nerve Agents: The most dangerous of the lethal chemical agents are the nerve
agents. These act in the body by blocking the enzyme system, which is concerned
with the nervous control of the brain. The known agents are classified as either
V (Persistent) or G (non-persistent) agents.

(a) V Agents: The persistent nerve V agents are colourless and relatively in

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MILITARY STUDIES 49