Worldwide, a large number of people die every year as a result of inhaling toxic gases found in various occupations.
These gases are found not only in industrial environments, but also in nature: they are often odorless, colorless and cannot be detected by human senses. What makes them all the more dangerous is that inhaling these substances can often cause lung and heart failure. In addition, gases are also used as weapons.
Toxic natural gases
The most common toxic gases found in the oil and gas industry are sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and inert gases such as nitrogen (N) and carbon dioxide (CO 2). Toxic gases can be life-threatening at low concentrations, and a number of others are poisonous. For example, H2S, widely used inoil and gas industry, is characterized by a pungent smell of rotten eggs. This is considered a serious hazard as it neutralizes oxygen and causes suffocation. Toxic gases can also be flammable, which means that detection becomes very important to protect against property damage. In most cases, this is often overlooked as a major hazard. In addition to being inhaled, industrial gases lead to industrial fires and explosions.
In addition, carbon monoxide is a danger to humans. It is a product of combustion of organic substances and in the presence of more than 1.2% carbon monoxide in the air is deadly.
Chemical weapons
Events in the world in recent years have led to a revival of interest in chemical weapons. Often referred to as a poor man's bomb, it requires relatively little investment and can cause severe psychological and physical damage and destruction.
Deadly gases list
As a rule, the list of these toxic substances is most conveniently compiled based on what toxicological effect they have.
- The nerve gas group is represented by Sarin and VX.
- Lewisite, mustard gas are blistered.
- Asphyxiating gases are represented by phosgene, chlorine, diphosgene.
- Bromobenzyl cyanide, chloroacetophenone are lacrimal.
- The group of gases of general impact is represented by hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride.
- Adamsite, CR, CS are annoying.
- To psychotomimetic -BZ, LSD-25.
The most affordable substance
Chlorine is a gas that is a readily available industrial chemical used for peaceful purposes, including as a paper and fabric bleach, in the production of pesticides, rubber and solvents, and to kill bacteria in drinking water and swimming pools. This is a perfect example of a dual-use chemical. Despite its dual nature, the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon is still prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Chlorine gas is yellow-green in color and has a strong bleach-like odor. Like phosgene, it is an asphyxiant that interferes with breathing and damages body tissues. It can easily be pressurized and cooled to a liquid state so that it can be transported and stored. This deadly gas spreads quickly and stays close to the ground because it is heavier than air. Although less lethal than other chemicals, it is very dangerous because it is easy to manufacture and disguise.
Bitter almond scent
Prussic acid gas also has a dual use: in chemical production and as a poisonous substance. However, the low durability and lack of cumulative properties led to the fact that its use as a chemical weapon was discontinued. Another name for this substance is hydrogen cyanide. It has a characteristic smell of bitter almonds. Causes tissue hypoxia and damagecentral nervous system, acute heart failure and cardiac arrest.
Most toxic gas: VX
VX is an organophosphorus compound and is classified as a nerve agent because it interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses. It is odorless and tasteless in its pure form and appears as a brownish oily liquid.
Developed in the UK in the early 1950s, this lethal gas is particularly effective because it is a permanent agent: once released into the atmosphere, it slowly evaporates. Under normal weather conditions, VX can last for several days on the surface, while in very cold conditions it can last for months. VX vapors are heavier than air.
VX is also a fast acting agent. Symptoms may not appear until a few seconds after exposure. They include salivation, pupillary constriction, and chest tightness. Like other nerve agents, VX acts on an enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) that acts as the body's "off switch" for glands and muscles. Death is caused by suffocation or heart failure. The lethal concentration of the gas, depending on whether it is inhaled or applied to the skin, is 70-100 µg/kg.
Poison Gas GB
This substance is better known as Sarin. In September 2013, the UN confirmed that a chemical weapons attack using specially designedrockets that dispersed sarin gas at rebels in a suburb of the Syrian capital occurred a month earlier. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988.
Sarin gas is a volatile but toxic nerve agent derived from phosphorus. One drop the size of a pinhead is enough to quickly kill an adult human. This colorless, odorless liquid retains its state of aggregation at room temperature, but quickly evaporates when heated. Once released, it rapidly spreads into the environment. As with VX, symptoms include headache, salivation and tearing followed by gradual muscle paralysis and possible death.
Zarin was developed in 1938 in Germany when scientists were researching pesticides. The Aum Shinrikyo cult used it in 1995 on the Tokyo subway. Although the attack caused widespread panic, it only killed 13 people because the agent was sprayed in liquid form. To maximize wastage, Sarin must not only be a gas, but the particles must be small enough to be easily absorbed through the lining of the lungs, but heavy enough that they are not exhaled.
The most popular poison gas
Mustard gas (mustard gas), also known as gray mustard, gets its name from the smell of rotten mustard or garlic andLuke. It belongs to a group of blister agents that act on the eyes, respiratory tract and skin, first as an irritant and then as a poison to body cells. When the skin is exposed, it turns red and burns for several hours before large blisters appear that cause severe scarring and pain. The eyes will swell, watery, and blindness is possible a few hours after exposure. When inhaled or swallowed, victims of this deadly gas experience sneezing, hoarseness, coughing up blood, abdominal pain and vomiting.
However, exposure to mustard gas is not always fatal. When it was first used in World War I, it killed only 5% of the people who were exposed. Because of its properties, it became a popular chemical weapon that was used in both World Wars, the Yemeni Civil War and the Iran-Iraq War.
Along with the terrible physical effects, mustard gas is chemically stable and very persistent. Its vapors are more than six times heavier than air and remain on the ground for several hours. This made it especially useful for poisoning enemy trenches. It remains toxic for one or two days in moderate weather and weeks to months in very cold conditions. Moreover, the durability can be increased by thickening the agent: dissolving it in non-volatile solvents. This poses significant challenges for protection, decontamination and treatment.
The likelihood of its use forces the troopsopponent to wear full protective gear, thereby reducing their effectiveness. But protective gear doesn't always work. For example, gas masks are often not enough. During the Iran-Iraq War, mustard gas seeped through masks when the mandatory beards of young Iranians broke the masks. Mustard gas also easily penetrates clothing, shoes, or other materials.
The most dangerous substance
To this day, phosgene gas is considered one of the most dangerous chemical weapons in existence. It was first used in combination with chlorine gas on December 19, 1915, when Germany dropped 88 tons of the gas on British troops, killing 120 people and injuring 1,069 others. During World War I, it accounted for 80% of all chemical deaths. Although not as toxic as Sarin or VX, it is much easier to prepare, making it more affordable.
Phosgene is an industrial chemical used in the production of plastics and pesticides. It is an asphyxiant that acts on lung tissue. The first likely symptoms such as coughing, choking, chest tightness, nausea and sometimes vomiting occur within minutes of exposure.
At room temperature, it is an almost colorless, albeit deadly, gas that smells like freshly cut grass at low concentrations. It does not ignite and evaporates when heated, making it volatile. But its vapor density is more than three times that of air, which means it will linger inlow-lying areas, including trenches.
