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Sarin gas: How does it work?

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    Dr. Marc Siegel weighs in

  • Duration 2:34
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At the end of his -- and near defeat sources inside Syria -- forces loyal to the embattled president Bashar -- Might use a potent nerve gas to poison its own people.

But what is -- And could it be a threat to America as well let's ask our expert doctor Marc Siegel.

A practicing internist associate professor of medicine in NYU and part of our medical 18 good morning there's a busy you couldn't tell me about -- and how dangerous is -- us.

Before I scare people -- I'm gonna scare people I want you to know that back in 1988.

When Sarin gas was used to kill 5000 Kurds by Saddam Hussein there was a lot more damage done by the panicked by the fear -- people fully.

So the number one thing you would ever do if -- ever got near Sarin would be.

To try to maintain calm which is very hard to do but it's -- portal is Carl Lewis -- it's a nerve gas.

It works like an insecticide does but it's extremely more powerful than that.

It prevents your body from breaking down the chemicals that allow you -- transmit nerves -- muscles can't relax they start to fire.

You get short of breath you get a runny nose you get chest pain you can eventually you come bolts and you suffocated to terrible thing.

Happens within about a minute after exposure.

There is an antidote called atropine but you'd have to have that on hand and use it won't -- to have that on hand slowly be fearful as Americans I don't think so it -- in America the biggest chance you gonna see of this ever happening would be a terrorist threats on the subway.

That would lead again to more panic in 1995 in Tokyo twelve people died but thousands got injured trying to escape the subway.

I'm much more concerned about panic in the clearly we cannot have -- -- on him for something like this.

You you if you ever got near -- you try to reach fresher you would try to get your clothes off right away and wash wash off.

You know the biggest problem is it spreads through -- You know if -- affected -- I mean you're gonna die -- -- affected right within a minute.

And it's over lest you can't -- you can't see yet.

You have to know that it was in the -- you couldn't tell by some characteristic smell absolutely -- once you start with a runny nose or chest pain.

It it's its address is very very festive -- that it's it's almost a blessing disguise that it just takes a minute because it sounds very painful on sounds awful well I usually one thing about that is if you don't.

If it doesn't affect -- -- it's not -- the chances are that you are fully recover that's for sure so that that's one good thing about it but again the difference here here would be as a terrorist threat which is a risk of fear there I'm really worried about the civilian population doctor -- Thanks for that information because this is morning.

A judge ordering.

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