{"id":889,"date":"2006-06-07T21:57:30","date_gmt":"2006-06-08T04:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/readyguide\/soman\/"},"modified":"2006-06-07T21:58:15","modified_gmt":"2006-06-08T04:58:15","slug":"soman","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/soman\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts About Soman"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bt.cdc.gov\/agent\/nerve\/soman\/basics\/soman-facts.pdf\"><br \/>\n        Download PDF version formatted for print<\/a><!-- #BeginLibraryItem \"\/library\/smallpox_pdf_icon.lbi\" --><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bt.cdc.gov\/file-formats.asp#pdf\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Adobe Acrobat Reader\" src=\"http:\/\/www.bt.cdc.gov\/images\/pdf_icon_faded.gif\" align=\"absBottom\" border=\"0\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n<!-- #EndLibraryItem --><span style=\"color:#666666\">(44<br \/>\n        KB\/4 pages)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong> What soman<br \/>\n        is<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soman is a human-made<br \/>\n          chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are<br \/>\n          the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents.<br \/>\n          They are similar to insecticides called organophosphate insecticides<br \/>\n          in terms of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause.<br \/>\n          However, nerve agents are much more potent than insecticides.\n        <\/li>\n<li>Soman was originally<br \/>\n          developed as an insecticide in Germany in 1944. <\/li>\n<li>Soman is also known<br \/>\n          as \u201cGD.\u201d <\/li>\n<li>Soman is a clear,<br \/>\n          colorless, tasteless liquid with a slight camphor odor (for example,<br \/>\n          Vicks Vapo-Rub\u00ae) or rotting fruit odor.<br \/>\n          &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Where soman<br \/>\n        is found and how it is used<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soman is not found<br \/>\n          naturally in the environment. <\/li>\n<li>It is possible<br \/>\n          that soman or other nerve agents were used in chemical warfare during<br \/>\n          the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n        <strong>How people can be exposed to soman<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Following release<br \/>\n          of soman into the air, people can be exposed through skin contact, eye<br \/>\n          contact, or inhalation (breathing in the soman mist). <\/li>\n<li>Following release<br \/>\n          of soman into water, people can be exposed by drinking contaminated<br \/>\n          water or getting contaminated water on their skin. <\/li>\n<li>Following contamination<br \/>\n          of food with soman, people can be exposed by eating the contaminated<br \/>\n          food. <\/li>\n<li>A person\u2019s clothing<br \/>\n          can release soman for about 30 minutes after contact with soman vapor,<br \/>\n          which can lead to exposure of other people. <\/li>\n<li>Soman breaks down<br \/>\n          slowly in the body, meaning that repeated exposures to soman and\/or<br \/>\n          other nerve agents can have a cumulative effect (build up in the body).<br \/>\n          &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How soman<br \/>\n        works<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The extent of poisoning<br \/>\n          caused by soman depends on the amount of soman a person was exposed<br \/>\n          to, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure.\n        <\/li>\n<li>Symptoms will appear<br \/>\n          within a few seconds after exposure to the vapor form of soman, and<br \/>\n          within a few minutes to up to 18 hours after exposure to the liquid<br \/>\n          form. <\/li>\n<li>All the nerve agents<br \/>\n          cause their toxic effects by preventing the proper operation of the<br \/>\n          chemical that acts as the body\u2019s \u201coff switch\u201d for glands and muscles.<br \/>\n          Without an \u201coff switch,\u201d the glands and muscles are constantly being<br \/>\n          stimulated. They may tire and no longer be able to sustain breathing<br \/>\n          function. <\/li>\n<li>Soman vapor is<br \/>\n          heavier than air, so it would be more likely to settle in low-lying<br \/>\n          areas. <\/li>\n<li>Soman mixes easily<br \/>\n          with water, so it could be used to poison water. <\/li>\n<li>Compared with other<br \/>\n          nerve agents, soman is more volatile than VX but less volatile than<br \/>\n          sarin. The higher a chemical\u2019s volatility, the more likely it will evaporate<br \/>\n          from a liquid into a vapor and disperse into the environment. People<br \/>\n          can be exposed to the vapor even if they do not come in contact with<br \/>\n          the liquid form. <\/li>\n<li>Because of its<br \/>\n          high volatility, soman is an immediate but short-lived threat and does<br \/>\n          not last a long time in the environment. <\/li>\n<li>Because soman is<br \/>\n          more volatile than the nerve agent VX (the most potent nerve agent),<br \/>\n          it will remain on exposed surfaces for a longer period of time compared<br \/>\n          with VX.<br \/>\n          &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong> Immediate<br \/>\n        signs and symptoms of soman exposure<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Although soman<br \/>\n          has a camphor or fruity odor, the odor may not be noticeable enough<br \/>\n          to give people sufficient warning against a toxic exposure. <\/li>\n<li>People exposed<br \/>\n          to a low or moderate dose of soman by inhalation, ingestion (swallowing),<br \/>\n          or skin absorption may experience some or all of the following symptoms<br \/>\n          within seconds to hours of exposure: <br \/>\n          &nbsp; <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Runny nose\n            <\/li>\n<li>Watery eyes\n            <\/li>\n<li>Small, pinpoint<br \/>\n              pupils <\/li>\n<li>Eye pain\n            <\/li>\n<li>Blurred vision\n            <\/li>\n<li>Drooling and<br \/>\n              excessive sweating <\/li>\n<li>Cough\n            <\/li>\n<li>Chest tightness\n            <\/li>\n<li>Rapid breathing\n            <\/li>\n<li>Diarrhea\n            <\/li>\n<li>Increased urination\n            <\/li>\n<li>Confusion\n            <\/li>\n<li>Drowsiness\n            <\/li>\n<li>Weakness\n            <\/li>\n<li>Headache\n            <\/li>\n<li>Nausea, vomiting,<br \/>\n              and\/or abdominal pain <\/li>\n<li>Slow or fast<br \/>\n              heart rate <\/li>\n<li>Abnormally<br \/>\n              low or high blood pressure <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Even a tiny drop<br \/>\n          of nerve agent on the skin can cause sweating and muscle twitching here<br \/>\n          the agent touched the skin. <\/li>\n<li>Exposure to a large<br \/>\n          dose of soman by any route may result in these additional health effects:<br \/>\n          <br \/>\n          &nbsp; <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loss of consciousness\n            <\/li>\n<li>Convulsions\n            <\/li>\n<li>Paralysis\n            <\/li>\n<li>Respiratory<br \/>\n              failure possibly leading to death <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What the long-term<br \/>\n        health effects are<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mild or moderately<br \/>\n          exposed people usually recover completely. Some studies in animals and<br \/>\n          people suggest that severe nerve agent poisoning can cause long-term<br \/>\n          central nervous system effects, such as changes in brain activity. However,<br \/>\n          it is unclear what such changes may mean, if anything, regarding the<br \/>\n          function and long-term health status of a person who has been mildly<br \/>\n          or moderately exposed to soman. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How people<br \/>\n        can protect themselves and what they should do if they are exposed to<br \/>\n        soman<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recovery from soman<br \/>\n          exposure is possible with treatment, but the antidotes available must<br \/>\n          be used quickly to be effective. Therefore, the best thing to do is<br \/>\n          avoid exposure. If exposure cannot be avoided, rapidly decontaminate<br \/>\n          and get medical care as quickly as possible. <\/li>\n<li>Leave the area<br \/>\n          where the soman was released and get to fresh air. Quickly moving to<br \/>\n          an area where fresh air is available is highly effective in reducing<br \/>\n          the possibility of death from exposure to soman vapor. <\/li>\n<li>If the soman release<br \/>\n          was outdoors, move away from the area where the soman was released.<br \/>\n          Go to the highest ground possible, because soman is heavier than air<br \/>\n          and will sink to low-lying areas. <\/li>\n<li>If the soman release<br \/>\n          was indoors, get out of the building. <\/li>\n<li>Remove any clothing<br \/>\n          that has liquid soman on it, and if possible, seal the clothing in a<br \/>\n          plastic bag. Then seal the first plastic bag in a second plastic bag.<br \/>\n          Removing and sealing the clothing in this way will protect you and others<br \/>\n          from any chemicals that might be on your clothes. <\/li>\n<li>If helping other<br \/>\n          people remove their clothing, try to avoid touching any contaminated<br \/>\n          areas, and remove the clothing as quickly as possible. <\/li>\n<li>Rinse the eyes<br \/>\n          with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes if they are burning or vision<br \/>\n          is blurred. <\/li>\n<li>As quickly as possible,<br \/>\n          wash any liquid soman from the skin with large amounts of soap and water.<br \/>\n          Washing with soap and water will protect people from any chemicals on<br \/>\n          their bodies. <\/li>\n<li>If soman has been<br \/>\n          ingested (swallowed), do not induce vomiting or give fluids to drink.<br \/>\n          Seek medical attention right away. <\/li>\n<li>Stay calm. Dial<br \/>\n          911 and explain what has happened. <\/li>\n<li>Wait for emergency<br \/>\n          personnel to arrive.<br \/>\n          &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How soman<br \/>\n        poisoning is treated<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Soman poisoning is<br \/>\n        treated with antidotes and supportive medical care. The most important<br \/>\n        thing is for victims to be rapidly decontaminated and get medical treatment<br \/>\n        as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <strong>How people can get more information about soman<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>People can<br \/>\n        contact one of the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Regional poison<br \/>\n          control center (1-800-222-1222) <\/li>\n<li>Centers for Disease<br \/>\n          Control and Prevention Public Response Hotline (CDC) <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>English (888)<br \/>\n              246-2675 <\/li>\n<li>Espa\u00f1ol (888)<br \/>\n              246-2857 <\/li>\n<li>TTY (866) 874-2646\n              <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Agency for Toxic<br \/>\n          Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (1-888-422-8737)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Download PDF version formatted for print (44 KB\/4 pages) What soman is Soman is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar to insecticides called organophosphate insecticides in terms of how they work and what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}