6 terrifying poisons that have been used around the world.

1. VX nerve agent

The nerve agent VX was stored in 1,269 steel containers in India, November 18, 1997.

VX was one of the most widely produced chemical weapons by the British in the early 1950s. The United Nations listed VX as a weapon of mass destruction under Resolution 687. In 1958, the formula for producing this weapon fell into the hands of the Americans, and Washington decided to mass-produce VX in 1961.

This weapon is a liquid chemical that kills victims using the enzyme ethylcholinesterase. Victims who come into contact with it will certainly die if the liquid is not washed off in time.

Under normal weather conditions, VX can survive for several days. In cold environments, VX can survive for up to several months. When poisoned, victims will experience symptoms such as sudden increases or decreases in blood pressure, blurred vision, chest pain, cough, diarrhea, drooling, excessive sweating, drowsiness, eye pain, headache, frequent urination, abdominal pain, rapid breathing, runny nose, heart failure, and seizures.

2. Sarin Poison

Sarin is an extremely potent poison used as a chemical weapon.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sarin is 26 times more deadly than cyanide. A single drop of sarin, the size of a pinhead, can quickly kill a person. Heavier than air, sarin can remain toxic for up to six hours. Symptoms of sarin poisoning include headache, nausea, blurred vision, excessive salivation, convulsions, respiratory arrest, and unconsciousness.

In 2017, a sarin gas attack occurred in an opposition-controlled area of ​​the Syrian capital Damascus, killing more than 1,300 people, including many women and children. In 1995, sarin was also used in an attack on a subway station in Tokyo, Japan, killing 13 people and injuring thousands.

3. Mustard gas

Soldiers in World War I were blinded by mustard gas.

Mustard gas, also known as sulfur mustard, gets its name from its pungent smell, which resembles mustard (cabbage), garlic, or onion. Pure mustard gas is a colorless, viscous liquid at temperatures of 25-28 degrees Celsius.

Mustard gas, also known as sulfur mustard, causes chemical burns to the skin, eyes, and lungs. It can be fatal, disabling, and cause cancer or permanent blindness.

During the Iran-Iraq war, mustard gas seeped through the face shields that Iranians commonly wore (for religious reasons) and caused them harm. Mustard gas can also easily penetrate clothing, shoes, and other materials.

4.Phosgene - an extremely dangerous toxic gas.

The bomb contained phosgene.

To this day, phosgene is considered one of the most dangerous chemical weapons in existence. It was first used in combination with chlorine gas on December 19, 1915, when the German army released 88 tons of the gas on the British army, killing 120 people and injuring 1,069.

Phosgene is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and pesticides. It is an suffocating agent that works by attacking lung tissue.

Upon initial exposure, victims may experience symptoms such as coughing, a burning sensation in the throat, watery eyes, eye irritation, blurred vision, shortness of breath, and vomiting, followed by difficulty breathing, coughing up pink fluid, low blood pressure, and heart failure.

5. Chlorine gas (toxic gas)

Many French soldiers experienced sore throats, difficulty breathing, and fainting after inhaling toxic fumes on the battlefield. Photo: Planeta.ru

The German army used chlorine to kill the enemy on the battlefield for the first time on April 22, 1915. The Germans deployed thousands of chlorine gas cylinders and wiped out two entire divisions of both France and Algeria. This poisonous gas caused victims to feel a sharp pain in their throats and chests.

Chlorine gas permeates bodily fluids, corroding the eyes, throat, and lungs. It can react with water in the lung lining to form hydrochloric acid, a deadly irritant.

6. Agent Orange

Vietnamese children, victims of Agent Orange, a toxic chemical dropped by the US on the Vietnamese battlefields in the 1960s and 70s.

Agent Orange is a mixture of two herbicides, most famously used in the Vietnam War. While not a chemical weapon in the true sense, it posed a danger no less significant than chemical weapons, and was used by the United States as such to destroy both human life and the environment.

Although designed as a herbicide, Agent Orange contained a large amount of dioxin, an extremely toxic compound, making it one of the deadliest chemical weapons in human history.

At high concentrations, dioxin causes severe inflammation of the skin, lungs, and mucous tissues, sometimes leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary edema, diabetes, eye disease, liver and kidney disease, and many other serious illnesses. It is also a serious carcinogen, causing cancers such as laryngeal and lung cancer.

It is estimated that the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War resulted in over 400,000 deaths or injuries, and 500,000 children born with severe birth defects. Agent Orange alone may be 10 times more deadly than all other chemical weapons combined.

Images of grief and devastation following the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Syrian medical experts have reported that at least 70 people have been killed and countless others injured in a suspected chemical weapons attack targeting a rebel stronghold in the Douma area of ​​East Ghouta.