KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: The banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean ruler's outcast half-brother who was attacked by two women who rubbed the substance on his face at the airport in Malaysia's capital.
VX is an extremely toxic organophosphate. A tasteless and odourless liquid with an amber-like colour, it severely disrupts the body's nervous system and is used as a nerve agent in chemical warfare.
VX is one of the world’s deadliest chemical weapons, even in minute amounts. It was detected on Kim's eyes and face, Malaysia's inspector general of police said in a written statement, citing a preliminary analysis from the country's chemistry department.
"Our preliminary finding of the chemical that caused the death was VX nerve," said inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.
VX nerve agent has the consistency of motor oil and can take days or even weeks to evaporate. It could have contaminated anywhere Kim was afterwards, including medical facilities and the ambulance he was transported in, experts said.
Dr Bruce Goldberger, a leading toxicologist who heads the forensic medicine division at the University of Florida, said even a tiny amount of VX nerve agent — equal to a few grains of salt — is capable of killing. It can be administered through the skin, and there is an antidote that can be administered by injection. US medics and military personnel carried kits with them on the battlefield during the Iraq war in case they were exposed to the chemical weapon.
"It's a very toxic nerve agent. Very, very toxic," he said. "I'm intrigued that these two alleged assassins suffered no ill effect from exposure to VX. It is possible that both of these women were given the antidote."
He said symptoms from VX would generally occur within seconds or minutes and could last for hours starting with confusion, possible drowsiness, headache, nausea, vomiting, runny nose and watery eyes. Prior to death, a victim would likely have convulsions, seizures, loss of consciousness and paralysis.
VX is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which North Korea never signed. The country is believed by outside experts to have the capacity to produce up to 4,500 metric tonnes of chemical weapons during a typical year, which it could increase to 12,000 tonnes per year during a period of crisis. Its current inventory has been estimated at 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes.
It is suspected of being particularly focused on mustard, phosgene, sarin and V-type chemical agents — substances including VX that are designed to poison through contact and remain lethal for long periods of time. The North's development of such agents has been of special concern because of fears it might try to put them in artillery shells for an attack on South Korea's capital, potentially threatening the lives of millions.
Joseph Bermudez, a well-known North Korea analyst, wrote an article for the respected 38 North websites in 2013 that said the North is capable of not only employing "significant quantities and varieties of chemical weapons" across the Korean Peninsula but also using those weapons worldwide "using unconventional methods of delivery."
He also said there is a "growing body of evidence" indicating the North has shared chemical weapons capabilities with Syria, Iran and others.
© Fox News
Read More: Banned chemical weapon used to kill Kim Jong Nam: Police
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