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HWN Suggests

VX, the poison that reportedly killed Kim Jong Nam, explained

The British scientists who first synthesized VX in 1955 wanted to kill insects. But they quickly realized they’d created something so powerful it could kill people too. The British government took notice, studied VX for its potential as a chemical weapon, and eventually shared the recipe with the United States. In 1993, the UN banned VX at the Chemical Weapons Convention, a treaty forbidding the stockpiling and use of any chemical weapon of mass destruction.

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Articles of Interest

An Assassination by Weapon of Mass Destruction

The murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, involved the use of VX nerve agent, one of the deadliest chemical substances on earth.

Explainer: what is VX nerve agent and how does it work?

The V-series were first developed in the UK in the mid-1950s. Like all nerve agents, the V-series block the biological action of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE).

VX Nerve Agent in North Korean's Murder: How Does It Work?

Traces of the lethal chemical, smeared on Kim Jong-nam’s face at a Malaysian airport, can penetrate skin and kill fast.

VX: The Nerve Agent Used To Kill Kim Jong Nam Is Rare And Deadly

VX is among the deadliest chemical weapons ever devised. A colorless, odorless liquid, similar in consistency to motor oil, it kills in tiny quantities that can be absorbed through the skin. A relative of the nerve agent Sarin, VX disrupts communications between nerves and muscles.

What is the VX nerve agent that killed North Korean Kim Jong-nam?

VX is the deadliest nerve agent ever created. Just one drop containing 10 milligrams of VX, absorbed through the skin, is enough to cause “fatal disruption of the nervous system”, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

What Is VX Nerve Agent? A Deadly Weapon, Rarely Seen

The VX molecule interferes with the way glands and muscles function by blocking an enzyme that allows them to relax. That causes muscles to clench uncontrollably and, eventually, prevents a victim from being able to breathe.

What to Know About VX Nerve Agent, the Deadly Substance That Killed Kim Jong Nam

As the CFR explains: “Although a cocktail of drugs can serve as an antidote, VX acts so quickly that victims would have to be injected with the antidote almost immediately to have a chance at survival.”

Resources

CDC

VX is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar to pesticides (insect killing chemicals) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kinds of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides.