Some chemical warfare agents have a distinctive odor. Early recognition of the odor hopefully can give a person time to take protective measures.
Odors:
(1) bitter almonds
(2) fishy
(3) floral
(4) fruity
(5) fruit, sour or rotten
(6) garlic-like
(7) hay or grass, newly mown
(8) horseradish like
(9) irritating or biting
(10) musty
(11) peach kernels
(12) pepper-like
(13) soft soap-like
(14) sweetish
|
Odor |
Possible Agents |
|
bitter almonds |
cyanide or other general blood agents, G-series nerve gases, vomiting agents |
|
fishy |
nitrogen mustard agents |
|
floral |
G series nerve agents, arsenical mustard agents, halogenated tear agents, tear agents in solvents |
|
fruity |
G series nerve agents, arsenical mustard agents, halogenated tear agents, tear agents in solvents |
|
fruit, sour or rotten |
non-halogenated tear agents |
|
garlic like |
sulfur mustard agents, mixed sulfur-arsenical mustard agents, arsenical blood agents, vomiting agents |
|
hay or grass |
choking agents (phosgene, other) |
|
horseradish like |
sulfur mustard agents, mixed sulfur-arsenical mustard agents |
|
irritating or biting |
arsenical mustard agents, cyanide or other general blood agents, choking agents, tear agents, vomiting agents |
|
musty |
nitrogen mustard agents |
|
peach kernel |
cyanide or other general agents, G-series nerve gases, vomiting agents |
|
pepper like |
halogenated tear agents, tear agents in solvents |
|
soft soap like |
nitrogen mustard agents |
|
sweetish |
non-halogenated tear agents, tear agents in solvents |
Specialty: Toxicology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care
