ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a review of the toxicological and neurobehavioral effects of exposure to nerve agents and their medical countermeasures, with an emphasis on human reports. The level of protection from the neurobehavioral effects of nerve agents is greater than that seen use of conventional therapy for nerve agents. Recovering animals show residual neurological damage, principally in cerebrum and cerebellum. The animal data available, pretreatment with a biological scavenger, appears to prevent or significantly alleviate the neurobehavioral effects of the nerve agents. The book discusses pretreatment for cyanide poisoning by methemoglobin formation, and argues that it is estimated that methemoglobin levels of 5% to 7% will protect humans against up to 2 times the lethal dose of cyanide. It presents the reports of neuropsychiatric effects, such as severe apathy, impaired concentration, and diminished libido.
