This handbook considers every aspect of deadly toxic chemicals used in conflicts, warfare and terrorism. As modern warfare evolves, an increasing number of chemical and biological warfare agents are introduced, making research into the effects and treatment of these agents essential for governmental bodies worldwide. With chapters written by leading experts, and including findings from experimental and clinical studies; this reference offers in-depth coverage of individual toxicants; target organ toxicity; major incidents; toxic effects in humans, animals, and wildlife; biosensors and biomarkers; on-site and laboratory analytical methods; as well as detoxification procedures and countermeasures. The edition is a complete update and expansion of the first edition, presenting the most recent advances in the filed. New chapters include a case study of the Iran-Iraq war, an overview of chemical weapons of mass destruction, explosives, ricin, the human respiratory system, alternative testing methods, PTSD and other brain injuries and more. -- From the publisher.

Historical perspective of chemical warfare agents /Nathan H. Johnson, Joseph C. Larsen and Edward Meek -- Global impact of chemical warfare agents used before and after 1945 / Jiri Bajgar, Josef Fusek, Jiri Kassa, Kamil Kuca and Daniel Jun -- The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack : acute and delayed health effects in survivors / Tetsu Okumura, Kenji Taki, Kouichiro Suzuki, Takemi Yoshida, Yukio Kuroiwa and Tetsuo Satoh -- Early and delayed effects of sulfur mustard in Iranian veterans after the Iraq-Iran conflict / Mahdi Balali-Mood -- Epidemiology of chemical warfare agents / Linda A. McCauley -- Chemical weapons of mass destruction and terrorism : a threat analysis / René Pita and Arturo Anadón -- Mustards and vesicants / Robert A. Young and Cheryl B. Bast -- Organophosphate nerve agents / Annetta Watson, Dennis Opresko, Robert A. Young, Veronique Hauschild, Joseph King and Kulbir Bakshi -- Russian VX / Vladimir Rembovsky, Andrey Radilov, Elena Savelieva, Sergey Kuznetsov, Igor Mindukshev, Daria Prokofieva, Nadezhda Krivorotova, Natalia Khlebnikova, Richard O. Jenkins and Nikolay Goncharov -- Riot control agents / Corey J. Hilmas -- Psychotomimetic agent BZ (3-quinuclidinyl benzilate) / Josef Fusek, Jiri Bajgar, Jiri Kassa, Kamil Kuca and Daniel Jun -- Neurological effects and mechanisms of blast overpressure injury / Dorothy L. Dobbins and Xiaoping Pan -- Thallium / Larry J. Thompson -- Arsenicals : toxicity, their use as chemical warfare agents, and possible remedial measures / Swaran J.S. Flora -- Fluoroacetate / Nikolay Goncharov, Elena Savelieva, Valeriy Zinchenko, Sergey Kuznetsov, Igor Mindukshev, Maxim Vinokurv, Pavel Avdonin, Natalia Voitenko, Anton Ukolov, Tatiana Orlova, Richard O. Jenkins and Anatoliy Kuznetsov -- Strychnine / Jiri Patocka -- Superwarfarins / Michael J. Murphy and Andres M. LugoPCBs, dioxins, and furans : human exposure and health effects / Bommanna G. Loganathan and Shigeki Masunaga Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons : implications for developmental, molecular, and behavioral neurotoxicity / Claire E. Bollinger, Monique McCallister, Ryan Clark, Raina Rhoades, Mark Maguire, Russell E. Savage, Yuqin Jiao, Aramandla Ramesh and Darryl B. Hood -- Carbon monoxide : from public health risk to painless killer / Daya R. Varma, Shree Mulay and Sylvain Chemtob -- Methyl Isocyanate : the Bhopal gas / Daya R. Varma and Shree Mulay -- Cyanide toxicity and its treatment / Rahul Bhattacharya and Swaran J.S. Flora -- Chlorine / Sylvia Milanez -- Phosgene / Cheryl B. Bast and Dana F. Glass-Mattie -- Other toxic chemicals as potential chemical warfare agents / Jiri Bajgar, Jiri Kassa, Josef Fusek, Kamil Kuca and Daniel Jun -- Ricin / Russell Dorsey, George Emmett and Harry Salem -- Botulinum toxin / Jaime Anderson and Corey J. Hilmas -- Anthrax / Corey J. Hilmas and Jamie Anderson -- Onchidal and fasciculins / Arturo Anadón, Maria Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga and Luis G. Valerio Jr. -- Cyanobacterial (blue-green algae) toxins / Kausik Ray and Melissa Stick -- Depleted uranium / George C-T Jiang and Michael Aschner -- Chemical warfare agents and the nervous system / Jing Liu, Chibuzor Uchea, Linnzi Wright and Carey Pope -- Behavioral toxicity of nerve agents / Jiri Kassa, Jiri Bajgar, Kamil Kuca and Daniel Jun -- The respirator toxicity of chemical warfare agents / Alfred M. Sciuto and Urmilia P. Kodavanti -- Cardiovascular system as a target of chemical warfare agents / Csaba K. Zoltani -- Ocular toxicity of chemical warfare agents / Patrick M. McNutt and Tracey L. Hamilton -- Dermal toxicity of sulfur mustard / Joshua P. Gray, Michael P. Shakarjian, Donald R. Gerecke and Robert P. Casillas -- Skeletal muscle / Ramesh C. Gupta, Snjezana Zaja-Milatovic, Wolf-D. Dettbarn and Jitendra K. Malik -- Reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption of potential chemical warfare agents / Timothy J. Evans -- Liver toxicity of chemical warfare agents / Shashi K. Ramaiah and Atrayee Banerjee -- Renal system / Sharon M. Gwaltney-Bryant -- The immune system as a target for chemical warfare agents / Kavita Gulati and Arunabha Ray -- Alternative animal toxicity testing of chemical warfare agents / Gopala Krishna and Saryu Goel. Genomics and proteomics in brain complexity in relation to chemically induced PTSD / Beena M. Kadakkuzha, Xin-An Liu and Valerio Rizzo -- Clinical and cellular aspects of traumatic brain injury / Jason Pitt and Yiuka Leung -- Excitotoxicity, ocidative stress, and neuronal injury / Snjezana Zaja-Milatovic and Ramesh C. Gupta -- Blood-brain barrier damage and dysfunction by chemical toxicity / Ramesh C. Gupta, Jason Pitt and Snjezana Zaja-Milatovic -- Neuropathologic effects of chemical warfare agents / Randall L. Woltjer -- The effects of organophosphates in the early stages of human muscle regeneration / Tomaz Mars, Katarina Mis, Sergej Pirkmajer, Maja Katalinic and Zoran Grubic -- Cholinesterase inhibitors : from molecular mechanisms of action to current and future prospects / Nir Waiskopf and Hermona Soreq -- Potential agents that can cause contamination of animal feedstuffs and terror / Robert W. Coppock and Margitta Dziwenka -- Chemical warfare agents and risks to animal health / Tina Wismer -- Threats to wildlife by chemical and warfare agents / Robert W. Coppock and Margitta Dziwenka -- Toxicokinetic aspects of nerve agents and vesicants / Harald John, Frank Balszuweit, Kai Kehe, Franz Worek and Horst Theiermann -- Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of DFP / Miguel Sogorb, Jorge Estevez and Eugenio Vilanova -- Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of chemical warfare agents / Jeffrey M. Gearhart, Peter J. Robinson and Edward M. Jakubowski -- Biotransformation of warfare nerve agents / Milan Jokanovi? -- On-site detection of chemical warfare agents / Yasuo Seto -- Laboratory analysis of chemical warfare agents, adducts, and metabolites in biomedical samples / M.J. Van Der Schans -- Biosensors for the detection of OP nerve agents / Jun-Ichi Anzai. Neuropathy target esterase as a biomarker and biosensor of delayed neuropathic agents / Rudy J. Richardson, R. Mark Wodern, Sanjeeva J. Wijeyesakere, Nichole D. Hein, John K. Fink and Galina F. Makhaeva -- Biomarkers of exposure to organophosphorus poisons : a new motif for covalent binding to tyrosine in proteins that have no active site serine / Oksana Lockridge, Lawrence M. Schopfer and Patrick Masson -- Monitoring of blood cholinesterase activity in workers exposed to nerve agents / Daniel Jun, Jiri Bajgar, Kamil Kuca and Jiri Kassa -- Pharmacological prophylaxis against nerve agent poisoning : experimental studies and practical implications / Jiri Bajgar, Josef Fusek, Jiri Kassa, Kamil Kuca and Daniel Jun -- Prophylactic and therapeutic measures in nerve agents poisoning / Trond Myhrer and Aas Pa̐l -- Medical management of chemical toxicity in pediatrics / Elora Hilmas and Corey J. Hilmas -- Physiologically based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of countermeasures to nerve agents / Elaine Merrill, Chris Ruark, Jeffrey Gearhart and Peter J. Robinson -- Strategies to enhance medical countermeasures after the use of chemical warfare agents on civilians / David A. Jett and David T. Yeung -- Pyridinium oximes in the treatment of poisoning with organophosphorus compounds / Milan Jokanovi? -- Novel cholinesterase reactivators / Kamil Musilek, Jan Korabecny, Daniel Jun, Jiri Kassa and Kamil Kuca -- Paraoxonase (PONI) and detoxication of nerve agents / Lucio G. Costa, Toby B. Cole, and Clement E. Furlong -- The role of carboxylesterases in therapeutic intervention of nerve gases poisoning / Sigrun Hanne Sterri and Frode Fonnum -- Catalytic bioscavengers L the new generation of bioscavenger-based medical countermeasures / Patrick Masson -- Rapid decontamination of chemical warfare agents from the skin / Edward D. Clarkson and Richard K. Gordon.