Chemical Weapon - Sarin

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What It Is

Sarin is an extremely toxic substance that disrupts the nervous system, overstimulating muscles and vital organs. It can be inhaled as a gas or absorbed through the skin. One hundred milligrams of sarin—about one drop—can kill the average person in a few minutes if he or she’s not given an antidote.

What It Does

In high doses, sarin suffocates its victims by paralyzing the muscles around their lungs. Exposure to large doses of sarin by any route may result in the following harmful health effects: loss of consciousness, convulsions, paralysis, and respiratory failure possibly leading to death.

Be Prepared

Recovery from sarin exposure is possible with treatment, but the antidotes available must be used quickly to be effective. Therefore, the best thing to do is avoid exposure. If exposure cannot be avoided, rapidly decontaminate and get medical care as quickly as possible. Leave the area where the sarin was released and get to fresh air. Quickly moving to an area where fresh air is available is highly effective in reducing the possibility of death from exposure to sarin vapors. If the sarin release was outdoors, move away from the area where the sarin was released. Go to the highest ground possible, because sarin is heavier than air and will sink to low-lying areas. If the sarin release was indoors, get out of the building.

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