4 ms·

I've never heard of that, unless by "wash off" you mean "wash off and take a huge dose of atropine and some other drugs, while on the way to the hospital." The

by M_Grey 10y ago

I've never heard of that, unless by "wash off" you mean "wash off and take a huge dose of atropine and some other drugs, while on the way to the hospital." Then you definitely have a chance, but you'll have some interesting symptoms for the rest of your foreshortened life.

ksrm 10y ago
There appears to be a prophylactic compound that can prevent the effects of VX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrylcholinesterase#Prophylactic_countermeasure_against_nerve_gas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrylcholinesterase#Prophyla...
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Yeah, the injectors you get for chemical weapons is either atropine, or a mix of atropine and just that. It can work, but it's not magic, and the dose you're exposed to matters. It's also very much the thing you do to stay alive until you can supportive medical care, not a cure or "vaccine". You also have quite limited time to use it on yourself before you're unable to move well enough to manage. That said, since Jong-Nam probably got a small dose, that might have saved him, but of course... who'd have had it? Who'd have known? In the military you're trained to recognize the symptoms of nerve agents, because you need to notice the very early ones to have a chance... most people don't get/need that training.
1wd 10y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13720436 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13720436
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Oh I see, but a few point to keep in mind... if that guy has a cut on his finger, or even a crack... whoooooole different ending. You're talking about someone prepared, choosing a finger to dip, then as the bit says "promptly washing off". That is not really analogous to having your face in some way sprayed/daubed/covered with it. Your face has large pores, plus your nose, mouth, and eyes are there. I doubt the choice of the face was accidental. Maybe he could have washed it off, but I doubt it.
  - 1wd 10y ago
    I certainly wouldn't want to test this myself. Also I agree about the face / nose / mouth / eyes. But the question raised here was about the attacker (not the attacked) being fine after handling the poison. By the way, one of the attackers was actually not fine: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=85385 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=85385

by M_Grey 10y ago

ksrm 10y ago

There appears to be a prophylactic compound that can prevent the effects of VX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrylcholinesterase#Prophylactic_countermeasure_against_nerve_gas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrylcholinesterase#Prophyla...

M_Grey 10y ago
Yeah, the injectors you get for chemical weapons is either atropine, or a mix of atropine and just that. It can work, but it's not magic, and the dose you're exposed to matters. It's also very much the thing you do to stay alive until you can supportive medical care, not a cure or "vaccine". You also have quite limited time to use it on yourself before you're unable to move well enough to manage. That said, since Jong-Nam probably got a small dose, that might have saved him, but of course... who'd have had it? Who'd have known? In the military you're trained to recognize the symptoms of nerve agents, because you need to notice the very early ones to have a chance... most people don't get/need that training.

1wd 10y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13720436 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13720436

M_Grey 10y ago
Oh I see, but a few point to keep in mind... if that guy has a cut on his finger, or even a crack... whoooooole different ending. You're talking about someone prepared, choosing a finger to dip, then as the bit says "promptly washing off". That is not really analogous to having your face in some way sprayed/daubed/covered with it. Your face has large pores, plus your nose, mouth, and eyes are there. I doubt the choice of the face was accidental. Maybe he could have washed it off, but I doubt it.
- 1wd 10y ago
  I certainly wouldn't want to test this myself. Also I agree about the face / nose / mouth / eyes. But the question raised here was about the attacker (not the attacked) being fine after handling the poison. By the way, one of the attackers was actually not fine: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=85385 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=85385