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A woman has died and her partner is in critical condition after to have been exposed in Novichok. They became ill several months after an attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter, raising questions about how long the nerve agent remains a threat.
Dawn Sturgess's death is a powerful reminder of the dangerousness of Novichok and why
Police are looking for a contaminated container that they believe was manipulated by Ms. Sturgess and Charlie Rowley – who stays in the hospital.
A possible link with the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal at the beginning of March is also the subject of an investigation
but with people in the affected areas of the country. Amesbury and Salisbury, Wilts being warned not to pick up foreign objects that may contain liquid or frost. security, what is known about how long Novichok remains dangerous?
How nerve agents work
All nerve agents poison in the same way, which is to inhibit the enzyme involved in the regulation of body messages along the nerves and between
The effect is devastating, with compromised muscles and nerves linked to other organs made ineffective
The glands also stop working properly and breathing becomes more difficult.
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] The severity of the disease varies enormously – for example, some people can break down chemicals three times faster than drugs. others
. The dose received and the time required to obtain medical treatment also affect the future of the sick.
The health of someone also makes a big difference – the more robust one is, the more he is able to get out of it
How long does Novichok
then, what do we know about Novichok and how long is it? l & # 39; environment?
Unfortunately, very little.
There is not enough scientific data to be sure of the time required for the degradation of this chemical and the end of the threat it poses.
Some people have suggested that it disappeared relatively quickly and that Mrs. Sturgess's poisoning Mr. Rowley is therefore a separate attack to that on the Skripals
But that would jump to conclusions.
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Dawn Sturgess died Sunday after being sick on June 30
Neurotoxic agents fall into two categories in terms of length of stay in the environment.
The "least persistent" nerve agents – those that degrade the fastest – include a range of chemical weapons placed in ammunition for use on the battlefield.
These substances – including tabun and sarin – are broken down by water and can evaporate.
Since they can form vapors, they constitute a danger by inhalation.
Who can use it? controls the world's most toxic chemicals
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Why North Korea destroys its nuclear test site
How big is the Kremlin's diplomatic network? Allow the army to contaminate areas for a while – thus denying access to the enemy unless properly dressed with protective gear.
The recent heat announced in the United Kingdom illustrates how difficult it would be for soldiers to operate in such an environment.
The people involved in the Novichok container search were able to stay in their protective suits for about 30 minutes at a time.
This group of neurotoxic agents includes VX. They do not vaporize as easily and are what is called a "contact risk".
Skin absorption occurs with all nerve agents, but it is the likely route of exposure for these "persistent agents".
The chemical structure of what has been published on Novichok places this chemical in the most persistent category.
And if it is stored in a container, the duration during which it remains a danger would be prolonged
Novichok: What we know up to now
- The expression "Novichok "applies to a group of advanced neurotoxic agents – highly toxic chemicals that prevent the nervous system from functioning properly and can be fatal
- Nervous agents will act in minutes or even seconds." they are inhaled and slightly more slowly if the exposure results from a cutaneous contamination
- Novichok means "newcomer" to Russian and was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s
- Some versions of Novichok are five to eight times more toxic than the nerve agent VX which, according to the United States, was used to kill North Korean brother Kim Jong-a last year
- The agents of Novichok can exist in different forms – some are liquids, while others are thought to exist in solid form, which means that they can be dispersed in the form of ultra-fine powder
sarin agent can h ang around.
In 1992, I was part of a team that was collecting soil and bomb fragments at an Iraqi site, four years after the explosion of a bomb
We found sarin under a stain of paint on a fragment of bomb.
We were lucky, if you will, in our find – the agent was still present as it was a very contaminated site
Novichok: Investigation of Murder after the death of Dawn Sturgess
What are Novichok agents?
Salisbury poisoning: What is Novichok?
This also explains why the inspectors of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found sarin in Syria, a few months after the detonation of ammunition
The murder of Dawn Sturgess and l 39; poisoning of Charlie Rowley and the Skripals are facing a difficult task
but they are advised by very competent experts who are well aware of the dangers posed by the Novichok agent
. of the importance of finding the nerve agent "container" or other source of the latter intoxication.
About this coin
This piece of analysis was commissioned by the BBC to an expert working for an organization
Alastair Hay is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Michigan. University of Leeds. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Education and Outreach and co-laureate of the 2015 CPO-The Hague Award for his outstanding contributions to the prevention of Use of chemical weapons
Published by Duncan Walker [19659065]
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