Osmium tetroxide: a new kind of weapon

OsO4 is a powerful oxidizer. It affects mainly the skin and mucous membranes. Although unsuitable for a large-scale terrorist attack, mainly due to its scarcity, it could be used in small-scale attacks. The small quantity contained in a vial would cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and skin....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Israel Medical Association journal 2007-10, Vol.9 (10), p.750
Main Authors: Makarovsky, Igor, Markel, Gal, Hoffman, Azik, Schein, Ophir, Finkelstien, Arseny, Brosh-Nissimov, Tal, Tashma, Zeev, Dushnitsky, Tsvika, Eisenkraft, Arik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical Terrorism
Chemical Warfare Agents - toxicity
Emergency Treatment
Environmental Exposure - adverse effects
Environmental Exposure - analysis
Humans
Mucous Membrane - drug effects
Osmium Tetroxide - toxicity
Oxidants - toxicity
Skin - drug effects
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Summary:OsO4 is a powerful oxidizer. It affects mainly the skin and mucous membranes. Although unsuitable for a large-scale terrorist attack, mainly due to its scarcity, it could be used in small-scale attacks. The small quantity contained in a vial would cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and skin. Combining the agent with an explosive material will probably destroy most of it, chemically. Thus, releasing the chemical without using explosives may be considerably more dangerous. Medical management is mainly symptomatic. As soon as the chemical enters the body, it rapidly reacts with the tissues in contact. Medical personnel should be aware of its poisonous effects and be equally familiar with the necessary self-protection measures and the treatment protocols.
ISSN:1565-1088