Poisoning substances are poisonous chemical compounds that serve to defeat the enemy’s living forces during the war. They have a number of physical and chemical properties, due to which in a combat situation they can be in a liquid, aerosol or vapor state and are the basis of chemical weapons (a type of weapon of mass destruction). OM penetrate into various open spaces, shelters or structures and affect the living organisms that are there, maintaining their effect for a certain period of time after their use.
Combat toxic substances penetrate the human body in several ways: through the skin, respiratory or digestive organs, mucous membranes. In this case, the degree and nature of the lesion depends on the pathways of penetration into the body, the rate of distribution along it and excretion from it, as well as on the modes of action of toxic substances and individual characteristics of the human body.
To date, there is no definite classification of these substances. The most significant are:
1. Physiological classification (by its effect on the body). This includes unstable poisonous substances, persistent and poisonous smoky substances.
a) unstable OM - able to infect the atmosphere, they form a cloud of steam, which spreads in the direction of the wind and dissipates quite quickly.
b) persistent OM - liquid substances that create a cloud that is infected with an aerosol. Some of the chemicals are deposited in the form of dew on nearby territory.
c) smoky OM - are used in the form of various fumes and consist of solid substances.
2. Tactical classification (on the behavior on the ground). This includes fatal poisoning agents that incapacitate for a certain time period and irritate OM.
a) lethal action - serve to eliminate living organisms.
b) incapacitating - serve to create a mental disorder in people.
c) irritating substances - serve to exhaust people.
Also, by the nature of the effect on the human body, there are:
1. Nerve agents (sarin, VX, soman) - contain phosphorus, therefore they are highly toxic. They have the ability to accumulate and affect the human nervous system with any method of getting into the body. These are colorless, odorless liquids that dissolve well in natural solvents, but least of all in water.
2. Poisonous OM (phosphine, arsine, hydrocyanic acid) - disrupt the respiration of tissues, stopping their oxidative processes. These substances enter the body through the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract.
3. Choking substances (chloropicrin, diphosgene and phosgene) - affect the lung tissue and upper respiratory tract through the respiratory system, causing pulmonary edema, suffocation and death.
4. Irritating toxic substances (CS, dibenzoxazepine, chloroacetophenone) - contributes to irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and eyes. Used in the form of aerosols, causing burns, respiratory paralysis, cardiac arrest and death.
5. Skin-booster OM (lewisitis, mustard gas) - enters the body through the skin and mucous membrane, causing poisoning and the formation of ulcers in places of contact with the skin.
6. Psychogenic substances (OB, BZ) - cause psychoses and physical disorders by interrupting the neuromuscular transmission of impulses.
7. Toxins (botulinum, staphylococcal enteroxin) - cause central nervous system paralysis, vomiting, poisoning of the body.
Thus, to date, almost all types of toxic substances have been studied. All of them are capable of affecting the human body, causing its poisoning. For timely protection, it is important to quickly detect OM, establish its type and concentration. Only then can high results be achieved in the provision of medical assistance to victims of hostilities.