CHEM
This blood agent, smelling of bitter almonds, inhibits cellular respiration
Hydrogen Cyanide
The 2001 bioterrorism attack in the United States used this method to disseminate anthrax spores.
Letter/ Mail
This type of radiation is essentially a helium nucleus and can be stopped by a sheet of paper.
Alpha particle
This intense burst of light and heat from a nuclear detonation can cause severe burns and ignite fires miles away
Thermal Flash
This three-zone system is used to control an incident site and prevent the spread of contamination.
Hot, Warm, and Cold Zones
These agents work by irreversibly inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, leading to a cholinergic crisis
Nerve Agents
Inhalational exposure to this agent leads to a biphasic illness, starting with flu-like symptoms and progressing to severe respiratory distress and shock.
Anthrax
A classic radiation detection instrument that uses a gas-filled tube to detect particles, often making an audible clicking sound.
Geiger-Müller counter/ Tube
Often used in radiological dispersal devices or "dirty bombs," this isotope is known for its strong gamma ray emission and has a half-life of about 30 years
Cesium-137
This initial phase of decontamination uses high volumes of water to quickly rinse off the bulk of a contaminant
gross decontamination
This choking agent, used extensively in WWI, has an odor of newly mown hay.
Phosgene
This virus, which causes a severe hemorrhagic fever, is named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ebola
The three primary types of ionizing radiation are named after the first three letters of this alphabet.
Greek alphabet
This term describes the medical condition caused by exposure to a high dose of ionizing radiation in a short period of time.
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)
This 1925 treaty was the first major international agreement to prohibit the use of chemical and biological weapons in war
Geneva Protocol/ Convention
These were the first nerve agents to be synthesized, discovered in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s.
G-series agents (Tabun, Sarin, Soman)
According to the CDC, biological agents are categorized into these three groups based on their risk to national security
Categories A, B, and C
To prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine, the government may advise taking this stable iodine compound.
Potassium Iodide
This was the codename for the top-secret World War II project to develop the first nuclear weapons.
Manhattan Project
This class of nerve agents, including the infamous A-234, was developed in the Soviet Union and is known for being binary agents, making them safer to handle and harder to detect
Novichok
While there is no specific antidote for mustard gas, this treatment is used for exposure to Lewisite.
Dimercaprol (British Anti-Lewisite)
This type of therapy is used to treat viral hemorrhagic fevers and involves transfusing antibody-rich plasma from a survivor to a sick patient.
convalescent plasma therapy
After a nuclear detonation, this radioactive isotope of iodine is a major health concern due to its ability to concentrate in the thyroid.
Iodine-131?
This 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is considered the closest the world has come to nuclear war.
Cuban Missile Crisis
This time-dependent process makes the bond between a nerve agent and acetylcholinesterase permanent, rendering oxime treatment ineffective.
aging