ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of key properties of the nerve agent sarin, including its high toxicity, the nature of the production process, the volatility of the substance, and the lethal concentration-time. It alludes to past military and non-military users as well as some of the basic considerations regarding the necessary response to an attack on unprepared targets. Organophosphate poisoning, which may happen as a result of exposure to pesticides, was suspected by Japanese medical staff in the wake of the sarin attacks carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo sect, making their response effective under the circumstances, faced with an attack with an unknown agent. The chapter focuses on introducing a handful of noteworthy cases of the past use of sarin with a view to the implications of these cases for US homeland security. The Japanese doomsday cult used sarin for mass-casualty attacks on two occasions, in Matsumoto, in June 1994, and in the Tokyo subway, in March 1995.
