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OK. Some definitions. Practically daily I run up against people who misuse the phrase "nerve agents." Mostly, this is out of ignorance. Occasionally it is out of malice.
Nerve agents are very narrowly defined. They are chemical compounds (not "bioweapons") that interfere with the operation of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase.
The chemical weapons - like chlorine, phosgene, Mustard gas - used in World War 1 were not nerve agents.
Tear gases and riot control agents, like CS and pepper spray, are not nerve agents.
Some people think that nerve agents are "stuff that cause bad effects on the nervous system". Nerve agents are a very narrow subset of that much broader family. The word "neurotoxicant" can be used for that broader definition
Napalm is not a nerve agent.
White phosphorus is not a nerve agent.
'Agent orange' is not a nerve agent.
The Calabar bean from West Africa is a nerve agent.
The pesticide Malathion is a nerve agent
White phosphorus is not a nerve agent.
'Agent orange' is not a nerve agent.
The Calabar bean from West Africa is a nerve agent.
The pesticide Malathion is a nerve agent
The term "nerve gas" is grossly inadequate for describing nerve agents. All of the nerve agents are either liquid or solid at normal room and field temperatures. A very few are volatile, i.e. quickly evaporating.
Not every nerve agent is artificial. A small number exist in nature. These ones from nature, like the one in the Calabar bean (physostigmine), can be called "toxins".
The artificially created nerve agents, which are numerous, are not "toxins"
The artificially created nerve agents, which are numerous, are not "toxins"
So, a statement like "tear gas is a nerve agent toxin" is about as informed as saying "a ukulele is a table because both are made from wood"
