Malaysia says VX nerve agent was used in Kim Jong-nam assassination

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother was assassinated with a lethal nerve agent manufactured for chemical warfare, Malaysian police said on Friday.

Releasing a preliminary toxicology report on Kim Jong-nam’s murder at a Kuala Lumpur airport, police said the poison used by the assassins was the odourless, tasteless and highly toxic nerve agent VX. Traces of VX were detected on swabs of the dead man’s face and eyes.

Malaysia says VX nerve agent was used in Kim Jong-nam assassination

If true this is an act of war. They could have wiped out the whole terminal if they were not careful. The US treats nerve agents as WMD's. and I don't see Malaysia sitting still after this revelation.

a reply to: FredT

VX

a reply to: FredT
Is there an agent present that they can trace to see what lab this came out of?

a reply to: FredT

And now China decides to teach Baby Kim a lesson by banning coal from North Korea:

www.npr.org...

originally posted by: Martin75
a reply to: FredT
Is there an agent present that they can trace to see what lab this came out of?

I'm not well versed on the lab diagnosis end of things. However as part of the extensive NBC training we received the treatment aspect consists of ATROPINE and Versed or ativan for seizure control. There is another agent you can give who's name escapes me but most modern EMS systems will have the atropine and some form of benzodiazapine avalible in the field.

can that be titrated down to such a dose that it only kills a single person?

i thought that was the kind of # where like 1 drop kills city blocks

a reply to: FredT

The US government does have handheld detectors that can be configured to detect chemical agents.

I'm not familiar with VX - does this mean the girls were wearing gloves - or does VX not work when splashed on skin?

Why take him out? Was he possibly in talks with the US on taking over if Kim was removed?

Why has NK now said publicly this is Malaysia's fault after denying it was even him...

a reply to: Agit8dChop

you ever see the rock?
that vx was nasty

goodspeed had to blast the atropine right into his heart

originally posted by: TinySickTears
a reply to: Agit8dChop

you ever see the rock?
that vx was nasty

goodspeed had to blast the atropine right into his heart

Lol when I read this OP, the first thing I thought of was The Rock. I don't think it works like in that movie though, or does it? Nasty chit either way.

US Army CBRN 74D, Honorably discharged.

I worked with weak amounts and have seen all types to include a very nasty russian nerve.

However, the OP is correct, VX is a WMD.
Your local pesticide is a super weak version of VX, not exactly, but still...

I had just seen this banner news report on CNN.com and it certainly made my eyebrows rise! I mean, holey moley! If this is verified by another source, it disturbs me for several reasons: one, North Korea is producing (or somehow procuring) the most offensive toxic chemical agents currently known; two, they wanted to make sure Kim Jong-nam was DEAD as a doornail with no chance of failure or recovery.

And they did it in Malaysia's main international airport! In a crowded public area! In broad daylight! And then, they demanded the police stop their autopsy and investigation. And then apparently tried to break into the morgue. All this keeping in mind that Malaysia was one of the very few countries and governments to be on friendly terms with North Korea.

They must have had a very good reason to off this individual, because they may have burned down one of the precious few bridges of friendship they have outside of China.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: FredT

The US government does have handheld detectors that can be configured to detect chemical agents.

They do, but to be honest they are not deployed in large numbers and our training revolved around first responding to a mass casualty incident the particulars of a single exposure in this case would require some serious outside of the box thinking.

The responders would have gone right to whatever heart attack algorithm not nerve agent and would not have given him the atropine unless his EKG indicated it.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Don't really need configurations as they perform exactly those functions.

M4A1 JCAD and the ICAM are two tools used for detection.

originally posted by: Arnie123
a reply to: DBCowboy

Don't really need configurations as they perform exactly those functions.

M4A1 JCAD and the ICAM are two tools used for detection.

How much training did the tools take? Could say an EMT or firefighter use them with ease?

a reply to: Arnie123

Others can be configured for agent-specific in areas where they're either a) looking for it, or b) have a strong suspicion that a specific agent is in the area.

a reply to: FredT

NEST Teams use them.

Are things getting ever crazier or is it just me?

Here's a pleasant thought from Wiki on VX:

Controlled studies in humans have shown that minimally toxic doses cause 70–75% depression of erythrocyte cholinesterase within several hours of exposure.

Wonder how you get volunteers for that? Then there's this:

In fiscal year 2008, the US Department of Defense released a study finding that the U.S. had dumped at least 124 tons of VX into the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of New York/New Jersey and Florida, between 1969 and 1970. This material consisted of nearly 22,000 M55 rockets, 19 bulk containers holding 1,400 pounds (640 kg) each, and one M23 chemical landmine

Wiki on VX

originally posted by: FredT

originally posted by: Martin75
a reply to: FredT
Is there an agent present that they can trace to see what lab this came out of?

I'm not well versed on the lab diagnosis end of things. However as part of the extensive NBC training we received the treatment aspect consists of ATROPINE and Versed or ativan for seizure control. There is another agent you can give who's name escapes me but most modern EMS systems will have the atropine and some form of benzodiazapine avalible in the field.

Physostigmine? Or pralidoxime? Yeah, you could probably get the guy to the hospital on atropine but he's going to need some heavy support for the cholinergic crisis he's about to go through. Not pretty. And you're never quite the same after, even if they support you until you clear it. It causes subtle brain damage that's sorta permanent.

a reply to: FredT

Believe it or not, not really. Key features help you out. Detection is all about narrowing it down, an ICAM would need to be 1 to 2 inches from the surface, however a JCAD can detect the moment something hits the air, but is lik detecting everything, you would need to narrow it down because it could be VX or GB.