First Hours: Chemical Agents

This section contains information on four major categories of chemical agents that could be used as terrorism weapons to cause a health emergency. They are grouped according to their effect on the human body. These major categories of chemical agents follow:

1. Blister (e.g., mustards)
2. Blood (e.g., cyanides)
3. Choking (e.g., chlorine)
4. Nerve (e.g., sarin, VX agents)

This section includes:

• Chemical Agents
• VX (Nerve Agent)

For more information on these and other categories of chemicals, go to the CDC Chemical Emergencies Web site.