wdstarr@athena.mit.edu (William December Starr) (08/19/90)
From: wdstarr@athena.mit.edu (William December Starr)
>From the 8/16/90 New York Times:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (Reuters) -- The Defense Department has
asked for rush deliverly of kits containing the nerve gas
antidote American troops would use in the Middle East, the
president of the only American supplier of the antidote said
today.
The company, Survival Technologies Inc. received a rush order
this week for $2 million worth of the kits, said the company's
president, James Miller.
Before Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, the Pentagon had
contracted for half that amount, enough for 210,000 kits. The
kits contain atropine to reverse the effects of nerve gas and
pralidoxime chloride to help return body functions to normal
after a nerve gas attack.
In case of a poison gas attack by Iraq, American troops in
Saudi Arabia carry two to three antidote kits in their packs
along with gas masks, rubber gloves and special uniforms filled
with charcoal to absorb chemicals.
[deleted: discussion of Iraqi use of chemical weapons
in the past]
Iraq is believed to possess nerve gases so potent that a drop
inhaled or absorbed into the skin could kill in minutes. But the
kits have an auto-inject device that also works quickly,
premitting injection of the antidote in seconds.
"They would have time to administer it," Mr. Miller said.
"The action of the drug is nearly instant as well."besst@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Brian E. Schwadron) (08/22/90)
From: Brian E. Schwadron <besst@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Speaking of nerve gas antidotes, I read this in the Pgh. Post Gazette
(quoted without permission):
"The U.S. military also has adopted the British drug pyridostigmine, that
one major government study has characterized as "a major breakthrough in
medical chemical defense." Administered before an attack, the drug protects
against all known nerve agents..."
Does anyone know anything about this drug: if it has actually been issued,
how long it lasts, how well it actually works, etc. It would seem to be a
very important tool in case the nerve gas starts flying ... military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) (08/23/90)
From: att!ihuxz!rats |Subject: Re: Defense against nerve gas |Summary: pyridostigmine In <1990Aug22.025233.16025@cbnews.att.com> Brian E. Schwadron states: | Speaking of nerve gas antidotes, I read this in the Pgh. Post Gazette |(quoted without permission): | "The U.S. military also has adopted the British drug pyridostigmine, that |one major government study has characterized as "a major breakthrough in |medical chemical defense." Administered before an attack, the drug protects |against all known nerve agents..." | Does anyone know anything about this drug: if it has actually been issued, |how long it lasts, how well it actually works, etc. It would seem to be a |very important tool in case the nerve gas starts flying ... The drug if I remember is actually a commerical drug for some other application. Prior to nerve gas combat, a smaller than commerical drug dose is given to the troops; this binds receptor sites such that nerve gas agents cannot bind to them. You do not need all your receptor sites to function, only a samll fraction is required. My memory is hazy on this point, but I believe another drug is given following nerve gas attack to release the receptor sites into active operation. Don't know if this is an indefinite process that can be repeated though...
rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk) (08/28/90)
From: rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)
In article <1990Aug18.182756.24858@cbnews.att.com> wdstarr@athena.mit.edu (William December Starr) writes:
Before Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, the Pentagon had
contracted for half that amount, enough for 210,000 kits. The
kits contain atropine to reverse the effects of nerve gas and
pralidoxime chloride to help return body functions to normal
after a nerve gas attack.
...
"They would have time to administer it," Mr. Miller said.
"The action of the drug is nearly instant as well."
Hmmm...so what happens if the evil "they" start shooting smoke rounds
rather than nerve-gas rounds, prompting soldiers in the field to quickly
shoot themselves up with nerve-gas antidote, thinking they`re being
gassed?
-RDH
--
A morning without orange sunshine RDH@SLI.COM | uunet!sli!rdh
is like a day without juice Robert D. Houk
Software Leverage, Inc.
485 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, Mass. 02174