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Correct me if I'm wrong (and I very well may be), but don't chem-laden shells have a VERY small amount of explosive in the nose? Just enough to 'pop the top' so the chemicals can be released?

It is the actual shock of firing the shell from a gun tube that mixes the chemicals together to create the active agent. With the two reagents unmixed, the shelf live is much longer than 5 years. So this could be a shell from the 80s. It is still a lethal weapon, worthy of the moniker WMD.

BTW, atropine is a lethal poison. Left untreated, atropine poisoning is uniformly fatal. This is a case of the cure being only slightly less dangerous than the disease.

BTW, atropine is a lethal poison. Left untreated, atropine poisoning is uniformly fatal. This is a case of the cure being only slightly less dangerous than the disease.

Depends on the dose.
In Vietnam, some grunts used to get high using their atropine injectors.. (not recommended.. highly dangerous)
Ever heard of "Locker Room" ??
It was a deodorant/ room freshener.. contained atropine..
People used it to get high before it was taken off the market.
Remarkably effective in getting rid of tobacco-marijuana smell in the high school bathrooms..

OVERDOSE
Symptoms:

Serious overdosage with atropine is characterized by widespread paralysis of parasympathetically innervated organs. Dry mucous membranes, widely dilated and nonresponsive pupils, tachycardia, fever and cutaneous flush are especially prominent, as are mental and neurological symptoms. Disorientation, mania, hallucinations, gait disturbances and symptoms may last 48 hours or longer. In instances of severe intoxication, respiratory depression, coma, circulatory collapse and death may occur.

The fatal dose of atropine is not known. In the treatment of organophosphorous poisoning, cumulative doses of approximately 2300-3300 mg or more have been administered over several days to 4-5 weeks.

Treatment:

Supportive treatment should be administered as indicated. If respiration is depressed, artificial respiration with oxygen is necessary. Ice bags, alcohol sponges or a hypothermia blanket may be required to reduce fever, especially in children. Catheterization may be necessary if urinary retention occurs. Since atropine elimination takes place through the kidney, output must be maintained and increased if possible, however, dialysis has not been shown to be helpful in overdose situations. Intravenous fluids may be indicated. Because of the affected person’s photophobia, the room should be darkened.

In the event of toxic overdosage, a short-acting barbiturate or diazepam may be given as needed to control marked excitement and convulsions.

Okay guys. Atropine is not as dangerous as you are making it out to be.

Here is just a little bit of information for you.

As you can see most of the symptoms of an OVERDOSE will be abated in 48 hours. Death can occur, but it does not happen very often. As it says, the fatal dosage of atropine is not known.

I have also listed for you the supportive treatment for atropine overdose. Most patients will recover well.

Atropine is used in such benign things as prescription diarrhea medication. I have given atropine tons of times in the field. The dosage that they indicate in the first paragraph is a huge amount of the drug and up to that level, patient recovery is generally good.

If anyone wants more information, I will be happy to post that information for you.

Greatings from an ex 97C MI Dude!! but don't chem-laden shells have a VERY small amount of explosive in the nose? Just enough to 'pop the top' so the chemicals can be released?

Not sure exactly how it works, but IIRC, there is an explosion, just not as big as would normally be the case. And yes, the shelf life in a binary weapon is "long".

after thinking about this for a while (and hearing a bit more on Swiss/german TV [not much !!]) it seems my earlier assumption is correct - the soldiers injured were from EOD and were attemting to disarm the boobytrapped round.

My guesstimate? [not totally unfounded but take with a grain of salt!!]
1. terrorists have knowledge fo where some of Saddam's WMD's are and how to rig them for use in an insurgency situation.
2. a Sarin round was prepared and placed near the Bahgdad airport.
3. part of that preparation included a mechanism to simulate the firing of the round (to mix the chemicals).
4. EOD, in thier attempt to disarm the trap, failed to disarm the "mixing" mechanism and it went off. [this would be a small explosion and fits with the claim that the round "partially" detonated.] This might also release a "small amount" of the sarin at the time of the detonation.
5. If EOD had already sucessfully disarmed the main fuse of the round, a further explosion would not have occurred. [also likely as the fuse must be removed before the innards are accessable]

ANY EOD / Arty Experts out there who can validate this scenario??

With the two reagents unmixed, the shelf live is much longer than 5 years. So this could be a shell from the 80s. It is still a lethal weapon, worthy of the moniker WMD.

Yes, that's the way the binary works. It was designed specifically to be stored for long periods of time in a way that would prevent accidents. Saddam was enormously proud when he acquired this capability.

BTW, I was a Golf in the 2ACR. Were you at DLI in '88? I was there then learning Czech.