I sure hope that Israelis are being taught how to protect themselves, and that the atropine is being stocked by first responders, to avoid waste.
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem!
I sure hope that Israelis are being taught how to protect themselves, and that the atropine is being stocked by first responders, to avoid waste.
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem!
I’d ask Milo Minderbinder where the atropine went.
Can civilians buy atropine kits like I used in the military? Mk 1 NAAK if I remember correctly.
I’d like to have some if they have a decent shelf life.
Interesting. I was not aware that atropine was effective against sarin? If so, that’s good to know...
Technical notes: typically auto-injector antidotes for nerve agents contain two ingredients, atropine and Pralidoxime, typically called 2-PAM chloride.
When neurons in the brain signal for muscle contraction, there is a gap between the neuron and the nerve called the synapse. Instead of an electrical charge crossing the gap, the neuron sends a tiny amount of a chemical across the gap. When it is received by the nerve, the nerve generates a given amount of electrical charge down the nerve to the muscle.
After a short length of time, a second chemical binds with the first chemical in the nerve, and the electrical signal is turned off. Then the two chemicals both cross the synapse again returning the first chemical to the neuron. They then break apart, and the second chemical returns to the nerve.
Nerve agent binds with the second chemical. So when the first chemical crosses over, an electrical signal is sent, and *continues* to be sent. Eventually more and more of the first chemical is sent to the nerve, which sends out more and more electricity, making the muscle continue to contract. If this happens too much in too many muscles, you in effect “contract yourself to death.”
Nerve agent antidote atropine shuts down the other side of the circuit, binding with the first chemical, so the nervous system just chills out. 2-PAM chloride binds with the nerve agent, so it can’t bind with the first chemical.
So if you get a big dose of nerve agent, the theory is that the atropine will significantly slow down the system, while the 2-PAM neutralizes and helps eliminate the nerve agent from your system. In practice this can mean putting a victim into a coma for about two weeks.
None if it feels good. And some effects can be permanent.
However, if the nerve agent has been reformulated so these antidotes are no longer effective, then it is a whole new ball of wax.
One last note, Sarin nerve agent is regarded as volatile, evaporating and dissipating quickly, behaving somewhat like water. V-series nerve agents are more like oil, and are used to contaminate an area, which stays contaminated for a long time. Mustard and Blister agents are also persistent, and particularly nasty.