What effect does Novichok have on the body? Nerve agent more potent than VX
A NERVE agent described as the most deadly ever made was used on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury leaving them fighting for their lives. Novichok was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s but what effect does it have on the body?
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The nerve agent known as Novichok was used on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who both remain in hospital in a critical condition.
Britain claims it is "highly likely” Russia was behind the attack and gave President Vladimir Putin until midnight on Tuesday to explain how a nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union was used to strike down a former Russian double agent who passed secrets to British intelligence.
Theresa May told the House of Commons yesterday: “It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.
“This is part of a group of nerve agents known as Novichok.”
What is Novichok?
Novichok is a nerve agent which is made by mixing together two ordinary chemicals to form a toxic product.
All novichok agents are more toxic than VX and it was first developed in the 1970s and 1980s by the Soviet Union.
It translates to mean “newcomer” in Russian, as when it was developed it marked a major breakthrough in the power of such chemical weapons.
The group of chemicals known as Novichoks - A-230 - is reportedly 5-8 times more toxic than VX nerve agent.
VX was used in the attack on Kim Jong-Un’s half brother Kim John Nam at Kuala Lumpar airport last year, when a cloth doused with VX was smeared on his face.
What effect does Novichok have on the body?
It is believed Novichok agents have similar effects on the body to other nerve agents.
They interfere with the transmitting of nerve impulses and block the messages from the nerves to the muscles, causing a collapse of many bodily functions.
The symptoms of nerve agents include white eyes, convulsions, drooling and in the worse cases, coma, respiratory failure and death.
Novichok causes slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to death by asphyxiation.
Professor Gary Stephens, pharmacology expert at the University of Reading, said: “This is more dangerous and sophisticated agent than sarin or VX and is harder to identify.
“It causes a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to death by asphyxiation.
“One of the main reasons these agents are developed is because their component parts are not on the banned list.
“It means the chemicals that are mixed to create it are much easier to deliver with no risk to the health of the courier.”
Just a drop of the nerve agent would be enough to shut down a body.
Dr Simon Cotton from the University of Birmingham said: “A drop would be needed, that is all, it is that sort of scale - a tiny scale.
“People would start feeling funny within a few seconds, but it would depend on the dose.”