Tasteless, odourless weapon of mass destruction

Q What is VX?

A VX is a lethal nerve agent and one of the deadliest chemicals ever created by man. It is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN and can come in liquid, gas or cream form. A victim can be subjected to as little as 10mg and be dead within 15 minutes.

Q How does it work?

A The chemical, which is tasteless and odourless, attacks the body’s nervous system and shuts it down, causing death. Victims may initially feel giddy or nauseous but soon their bodies begin to convulse and they can no longer breathe.

Q Does North Korea have VX?

A Yes, North Korea has one of the world’s largest stockpiles of chemical weapons. The hermit state is estimated to have about 5,000 tons of lethal chemicals, including VX. The nerve agent is not expensive to produce and North Korea could make its own with relative ease.

QIs there any danger to Kuala Lumpur airport?

A Probably not, but Malaysian authorities are understandably anxious that such a deadly chemical was apparently used in their country’s main airport. They are planning to decontaminate the airport terminal along with several other locations the suspects visited.

“We will get the experts from the atomic energy department to go to the location and sweep it to see if radioactive (material) is still there,” said police chief Khalid Abu Bakar.

Q What’s the history of VX?

A It was developed in the UK in the Fifties by scientists who were researching pesticides and were stunned by its toxicity. Its first use as a chemical weapon was during the Iran-Iraq war, when Saddam Hussein’s forces allegedly used it against a Kurdish town in 1988.

Members of a Japanese doomsday cult used it in the mid-Nineties to kill one person. The same group later used sarin gas, a similar but less deadly nerve agent, to attack the Tokyo subway in 1995. They killed 12 people and injured dozens more.

QIs there an antidote to VX?

A Yes, the drug atropine is an antidote to VX. It works by essentially freezing nerve receptors and stopping them being overwhelmed by the toxin. The US military issues an atropine injection for use in the event of exposure to nerve agents. The antidote has to be applied quickly or it will not work.