Your first reaction to a chemical accident/weapon will probably be the wrong one and kill you. Whether it be an industrial accident or a deliberate attack by a state or terrorist, we live in a world filled with chemical toxins. Some basic information on what they are, how they act, and how to prepare for and deal with them.

1. Chemical Weapons,
Accidents & How To
Survive Them

2. A gas leak in Bhopal India is considered the
worst industrial accident with a death toll that
has never been fixed, but was definitely over
5,000.

3. Disasters at plants like the one in Bhopal, train
derailments, tanker truck crashes and other
incidents make a chemical accident a
possibility anywhere.
While outlawed, chemical weapons are a
reality of our world.
Chemical weapons can be made more easily
than the other two arms of the triad of
weapons of mass destruction: nuclear and
biological.
Thus they are a favorite of terrorists.
They have been used.
They will be used again.

4. Chemical warfare is the use of non-living toxins to
incapacitate or kill humans, plants or animals.
Chemical terrorism is the same, except not state-
sponsored.
Chemical Warfare

5. As long as there has been warfare, humans
have used chemical warfare in various forms.
Fire, in fact, is considered chemical warfare.
Poison is another mode.
Chemical Warfare

6. Chemical Warfare was used extensively in World
War I.
The French were the first to employ it.
It is estimated there were 1.3 million chemical
weapon casualties in the war, including civilians.
Like biological weapons, chemical weapons are
indiscriminate in who they attack.
Chemical Warfare

7. In World War II, the Japanese and Germans
employed chemical weapons in various ways.
The Allies stockpiled them for possible use in the
extreme.
The Japanese employed them in China.
(See my slideshare on Unit 731)
The Germans didn’t use them in combat, but in
concentration camps for extermination and killed
millions.
Chemical Warfare

8. There are some unique properties to chemical
weapons and agents.
There are over 70 different types and they can
come in solid, liquid or gas form.
Some act not only via the lungs but through
contact with the skin, such as mustard gas.
Agents are divided into lethal and
incapacitating.
Chemical agents are also rated according to
their persistency: how long they remain active
after being deployed.
Chemical Warfare/
Agents

9. Non-persistent chemical agents lose their
effectiveness anywhere from seconds to hours
after their dispersal.
Persistent chemical agents remain for days
and even weeks.
For most of us, the biggest problem with
chemical agents is detection.
Chemical Warfare/
Agents

10. The reality is it’s very difficult to detect a
chemical accident or attack.
The most important sign is the event that initiates
the accident or attack.
A train derailment is one example.
Often, chemical attacks are done via an initial
explosion.
It was three hours into the Tokyo Sarin attack
before they even realized an agent had been
used.
Always assume the worst.
Observing other people and animals is the last
resort of detection.
Chemical Warfare/
Agents

11. Besides industrial accidents, chemical agents
can be delivered by a variety of means:
Air
Via the water supply
Via the food supply
The bottom line is a chemical agent requires
direct contact
Chemical Warfare/
Agents

12. There are four main types of chemical agents:
Nerve Agents: require ingestion, respiration
or contact
Blood Agents: absorbed through respiration
Choking Agents: absorbed through
respiration
Blistering Agents: burns skin and internal
tissues (mouth, throat and lungs) on contact
Types of Chemical
Agents

13. These agents have various effects:
Nerve Agents: loss of muscle control,
respiratory failure and death
Blood Agents: interferes with the body’s
oxygen supply, leading to death
Choking Agents: death from lack of oxygen
Blistering Agents: causes blisters, lung
damage, long term debilitating injuries
including blindness
Types of Chemical
Agents

14. To prepare, there are several items that are of
value:
A gas mask. Many chemical agents act
through the respiratory system. However,
most of us don’t carry a gas mask around with
us. Most are not trained how to use one and
gas masks require maintenance of the filters.
How to Prepare for and Survive
Chemical Warfare and Agents

15. Another way to prepare is to be ready to seal
your house, or part of your house, off from
outside air.
For this you will need polyethylene sheeting
and tape.
It’s best to find a single room, deep inside your
house for this; one with no windows and the
least amount of doors. Seal any vents.
Remember that agents tend to settle so going
higher is better.
How to Prepare for and Survive
Chemical Warfare and Agents

16. Shut all air intakes into the house.
Turn off AC/Heating.
Use wet towels to seal the bottom of doors.
If caught in your car, stay in the car. Keep
windows closed. Turn off AC/Heating. Turn off
outside air circulation.
Covers air vents.
How to Prepare for and Survive
Chemical Warfare and Agents

17. Cover yourself completely. Remember, some
agents act through the skin. Long pants, long
sleeve shirts, masks, hats and gloves.
How to Prepare for and Survive
Chemical Warfare and Agents

18. A huge mistake people make when caught in
a chemical accident or attack is fleeing. This
killed many during the Bhopal disaster. You
are better off sealing yourself inside. Running
will expose you more and also cause you to
ingest the agent.
How to Prepare for and Survive
Chemical Warfare and Agents

19. More Free Information
I constantly update free, downloadable
slideshows like this on my web site for
preparation and survival and other topics.
www.bobmayer.com/workshops
I also have YouTube Survival videos. HERE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRfvVDPwOmC-97VgbBe369A
Also, I conduct Area Study workshops for
those interested in properly preparing for
their specific circumstances.

20. The guide on the left is the complete preparation and
survival guide. The one on the right is a pocket-size
manual with just the survival portion. Useful in your Grab-
n-Go bag, car and kitchen drawer.
SURVIVAL GUIDES

22. New York Times bestselling author, is a graduate of West
Point and former Green Beret. He’s had over 80 books
published, including the #1 bestselling series Green Berets,
Time Patrol, Area 51, and Atlantis. He’s sold over 5 million
books. He was born in the Bronx and has traveled the world.
He’s lived on an island off the east coast, an island off the
west coast, in the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains
and other places, including time in East Asia studying martial
arts.
He was an instructor and course developer/writer for years
at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School which trains
Green Berets and also runs the SERE school:
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.
www.bobmayer.com