![]() ![]() ![]() Under very cold conditions, VX can last for months. Under average weather conditions, VX can last for days on objects that it has come in contact with. Therefore, VX is persistent in the environment. VX is the least volatile of the nerve agents, which means that it is the slowest to evaporate from a liquid into a vapor.They may tire and no longer be able to sustain breathing function. Without an “off switch,” the glands and muscles are constantly being stimulated. All the nerve agents cause their toxic effects by preventing the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles.It is possible that any visible VX liquid contact on the skin, unless washed off immediately, would be lethal.Compared with the nerve agent sarin (also known as GB), VX is considered to be much more toxic by entry through the skin and somewhat more toxic by inhalation. ![]() VX is the most potent of all nerve agents.Symptoms will appear within a few seconds after exposure to the vapor form of VX, and within a few minutes to up to 18 hours after exposure to the liquid form.The extent of poisoning caused by VX depends on how much VX a person was exposed to, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure.Because VX vapor is heavier than air, it will sink to low-lying areas and create a greater exposure hazard there.Because VX breaks down slowly in the body, repeated exposures to VX and/or other nerve agents can build up in the body (have a cumulative effect).A person’s clothing can release VX after contact with VX vapor, which can lead to exposure of other people through contaminated clothing.VX is primarily a liquid exposure hazard, but if it is heated to very high temperatures, it can turn into vapor (gas).Following contamination of food with VX, people can be exposed by eating the contaminated food.Following release of VX into water, people can be exposed by drinking contaminated water or getting contaminated water on their skin. Though VX does not mix with water as easily as other nerve agents do, it could be released into water.Following release of VX into the air, people can be exposed through skin contact, eye contact, or inhalation (breathing in the VX mist).By participating in the United Nations International Chemical Weapons Convention treaty, the United States agreed to destroy its stockpile of aging chemical weapons.The only known use of VX is as a chemical warfare agent.VX is not found naturally in the environment.It is possible that VX or other nerve agents were used in chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.It evaporates about as slowly as motor oil. VX is an oily liquid that is amber in color and very slow to evaporate.VX was developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1950s.However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides. They are similar to pesticides (insect killing chemicals) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. VX is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. ![]()
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