Sunday, March 12, 2017
Case Summary: VX Poison
On the day of February 13 of 2017, the half-brother of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Nam, was assassinated at a Malaysian airport. After inspection and investigation of his death, it was determined that he was killed by a small dosage of VX gas, which is an extremely lethal nerve agent. Eye witnesses stated that they saw two women approach Nam from behind and swipe a “wet cloth” across his face, which is believed to have contained the poison. There is conspiracy that the assassination was set up by Kim Jong Un himself, as he saw his half-brother as a threat to his rule. Due to the fact that North Korea did not comply to dispose of their stock of VX gas after the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, they are suspected to have been responsible for supplying the poison. The two women responsible for the crime are believed to be of North Korean nationality, and two other North Korean suspects are wanted for connection to the murder. As of now, police have detained a Vietnamese woman, and Indonesian woman, and a North Korean man who have some connection to Kim’s death.
History of VX Nerve Gas
VX, also known as Methylphosphonothioic Acid S-[2-[Bis(1-methylethyl)amino]ethyl] O-Ethyl EsterO-Ethyl S-[2-(Diisopropylamino)ethyl]methylphosphonothioate,is an extremely lethal organophosphate. It was developed in the Porton Down Chemical Weapons Research Centre in Wiltshire, England in 1952, having the chemical formula of C11H26NO2PS. It is a compound that is odorless, tasteless, but has an amber-like color. Although it is not commonly found (non-existent in nature), it can exist in liquid and vapor form. Upon the development of this poison, Britain then traded the VX Gas information with America for information on thermonuclear weapons. British scientist Dr. R. Ghosh developed the “v” agents. The United States then went into mass production of VX at Newport Chemical Depot in 1961. Then in 1988, Iraq weaponized VX and dropped the 3 VX-filled bombs in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. In 1994, Masami Tsuchiya used 100 grams of VX to attack three people, one of which died. On February 13 of 2017, VX was allegedly used to assassinate Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un.
Treatments and Detection
While Victim is still Alive
- Doctors can detect VX Nerve Gas by taking urine samples. VX gas, when inhaled, runs through the cholinesterase activity in the blood. A treatment to rid a victim of VX is to give them large doses of Atropine, which acts as an antidote. VX is absorbed in the body very quickly, and it can be traced by looking at the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, and observing if it has turned yellow. Diagnosable if urine sample tests positive and victim has corresponding symptoms of VX poisoning.
Post Mortem
- VX poisoning can be determined within a victim if a coroner sees small impurities (yellow or amber) in the body. A test known as shocking pink can detect VX by indicating a change in the color of the paper from blue to pink.
Symptoms/Effects of VX Nerve Gas
What It does to The Body
- VX Gas is a nerve agent that blocks enzymes from properly functioning by preventing them from “turning off”. The glands and muscles controlled by these enzymes are constantly stimulated as a result, leading to them tiring out and not able to sustain breathing function.
Exposure
- Exposure to this gas can cause symptoms within seconds.
- Exposure to liquid VX can cause symptoms within minutes.
Immediate Effects (Low Doses)
- Blurred vision
- Diarrhea
- Nausea, vomiting
- Slow or fast heart rate
- Dilated pupils
- Skin irritation
Immediate Effects (Large Doses)
- Convulsions
- Loss of consciousness
- Paralysis
- Respiratory failure, possibly leading to death
Long-Term Effects
- Mild or moderately exposed people usually recover entirely.
- Severely exposed people aren’t likely to survive.
- The effects of VX gas disappear entirely within months.
Case Report of VX Poison
Late February, in an airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two women approached Kim Jong Nam—half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un—from behind. They swiped what the victim described to nearby customer service agents as a “wet cloth” across his face, and fled. Shortly after, he was dead. Malaysian authorities say they’ve identified the substance as VX, a nerve agent that the United Nations classifies as a weapon of mass destruction.
It is known that a small quantity was used, being that the area was not turned “non-usable.” As the incident showed, though, smaller quantities are also dangerous. Even a tiny drop, as was used in this case, is lethal. On a larger scale, VX was one of the chemical weapons deployed in the Iran-Iraq war. The Kim Jong Nam case, though, would be the first VX assassination on record.
The nerve gas is so dangerous that all but a handful of countries agreed to destroy whatever stockpiles they had of VX as part of the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. One of the handful of countries included North Korea. That raises the theory of whether the women were hired by the half brother to execute the assassination and whether or not the poison can be chemical-traced back to North Korea. However, while North Korea maintains a VX stockpile, and Kim Jong Un may well have considered his half-brother a threat to his rule, there’s yet no clear motive or direct link between the VX airport incident and North Korea. Malaysian police are seeking at least four North Korean suspects in connection with the murder. Two North Korean nationals, including a diplomat in Malaysia, are wanted for questioning. Police have detained a Vietnamese woman, an Indonesian woman and a North Korean man in connection with Kim’s death.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)