Being A Nerve Agent Essay

The use of Nerve agents, and to a larger extent Chemical Weapons, is illegal according to United Nations Resolution 687 which passed in 1991. The production, stockpiling, and use of these weapons were banned by The Hague Convention of 1899 and the Geneva Protocol of 1925. All Nerve agents are fatal to the human body in the same way. Some are more potent, and some remain on the battlefield longer than others. Many factors play a role in how long a Nerve agent remains on the battlefield.
Nerve agents come in many forms and enter the body in many ways. Some agents are persistent, and some are non-persistent. Persistent Nerve agents remain on the battle field for over 12 hours. They have the consistency of used motor oil. Persistent Nerve agents are used to blanket terrain where enemy forces would pass through. This blindly contaminates, or blocks off an area of approach. These agents collect and pool in soil, on crevices of
In the desert sand, it will soak with the soil, but rain is scarce and contamination would be longer. In the middle of a jungle’s rain forest, the precipitation swallows the effects of the agent much faster. One must also take into consideration if the environment is urbanized or not. More urbanized areas have low spots and crevices within buildings and streets for an agent to collect and settle. Contamination would seep into the sewage system. A city’s water supply would be set back decades. Rural areas would suit Nerve agents just like non-inhabited ones. If there is agriculture, the areas food supply would unsafe to consume. It must be understood, just like any other Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear agent, that the area contaminated by a Nerve agent would be uninhabitable for months or even years. All troops would be required to don full Military Oriented Protective Posture Level 4 for extended periods of time, while continuing daily