Chemical, biological (CB) — and sometimes radiological — warfare agents were assigned what is termed a military symbol by the U.S. military until the American chemical and biological weapons programs were terminated (in 1990 and 1969, respectively). Military symbols applied to the CB agent fill, and not to the entire weapon. A chemical or biological weapon designation would be, for example, "Aero-14/B", which could be filled with GB, VX, TGB, or with a biological modification kit – OU, NU, UL, etc. A CB weapon is an integrated device of (1) agent, (2) dissemination means, and (3) delivery system.
Military symbols can sometimes reflect the name of where a chemical agent is manufactured. For example, chloropicrin has the symbol PS, which was derived from the British town in which it was manufactured during the First World War: Port Sunlight.
Chemical agents Blood agents
AC – hydrogen cyanide CK – cyanogen chloride SA – Arsine
Choking agents
BBC – bromobenzyl cyanide CL – chlorine CG – phosgene DP – diphosgene KJ – stannic chloride NC – 80% chloropicrin, 20% stannic chloride PS – chloropicrin
Blister agents
H – mustard gas HD – distilled mustard gas T – O-Mustard Q – sesquimustard L – Lewisite HL – mustard-lewisite mixture HT – mustard-T mixture HQ – mustard-Q mixture HN – nitrogen mustard ED – ethyl dichloroarsine MD – methyl dichloroarsine PD – phenyl dichloroarsine CX – Phosgene oxime
Tear agents
CA – camite CN – mace CNB – mace-benzene mixture CNC – mace-chloroform mixture CND CNS – mace-chloropicrin-chloroform mixture CS – CS gas CS1 – micropulverized CS CS2 – microencapsulated CS CR – CR gas CH –
Vomiting agents DA – diphenylchlorarsine DC – diphenylcyanoarsine DM – Adamsite
Psycho agents
BZ – 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate SN – sernyl (PCP) K – lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) [EA 1729]
Nerve agents
GA – tabun [EA1205] GB – sarin [EA1208] GB2 – sarin as a binary agent from mixing OPA (isopropyl alcohol+isopropyl amine) + DF [EA5823] GD – soman [EA1210] GF – cyclosarin [EA1212] GE – ethyl sarin GH – O-isopentyl sarin [EA1221] GS – S-butyl sarin [EA1255] GV – (dimethylaminoethyl phosphorodimethyl amidoylfluoridate) [EA5365] VE – VE nerve agent [EA1517] VG – Amiton (O,O-diethyl-S-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl] phosphorothioate) [EA1508] VM – Edemo [EA1664] VS – (O-Ethyl S-2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl ethylphosphonothiolate) [EA1677]Hoenig, Steven L. (2007), Compendium of Chemical Warfare Agents, Springer, pp 106-109, VP – (3-pyridyl 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl methylphosphonate) [EA1511]US 3903098 VR – VR nerve agent (O-isobutyl S-(2-diethaminoethyl) methylphosphothioate) VX – VX nerve agent [EA1701] TZ – Saxitoxin
Experimental agents
Material Testing Program EA (Edgewood Arsenal) numbers:
EA 1152 - Diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) EA 1205 - Tabun (GA) EA 1208 - Sarin (GB) EA 1210 - Soman (GD) EA 1212 - Cyclosarin (GF) EA 1221 - O-isopentyl sarin EA 1255 - S-butyl sarin EA 1285 - Tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP) EA 1298 - Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an analogue and active metabolite of MDMA EA 1475 - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine EA 1476 - A dimethylheptylpyran variant ("red oil") EA 1508 - VG EA 1517 - VE EA 1653 - LSD in tartrate form EA 1664 - Edemo (VM) EA 1677 - VS, a "V-series" nerve agent EA 1701 - VX EA 1729 - LSD in free base form EA 2092 - Benactyzine EA 2148-A - Phencyclidine (PCP) EA 2233 - A dimethylheptylpyran variant Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8 EA 2277 - BZ ("Substance 78" to Soviets) EA 3148 - A "V-series" nerve agent, Cyclopentyl S-2-diethylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate ("Substance 100A" to Soviets) EA 3167 - A BZ variant EA 3443 - A BZ variant EA 3528 - LSD in maleate form EA 3580 - A BZ variant EA 3834 - A BZ variant EA 5365 - GV EA 5823 - Sarin (GB) as a binary agent from mixing OPA (isopropyl alcohol+isopropyl amine) + DF
Biological agents Mycotic biological agents
OC - Coccidioides mycosis
Bacterial biological agents
N - anthrax TR - anthrax LE - plague UL - tularemia (schu S4) TT - wet-type UL ZZ - dry-type UL SR - tularemia JT - tularemia (425) HO - cholera AB - bovine brucellosis US - porcine brucellosis NX - porcine brucellosis AM - caprine brucellosis BX - caprine brucellosis Y - bacterial dysentery LA - Glanders HI - Melioidosis DK - diphtheria TQ - listeriosis
Chlamydial biological agents SI - psittacosis
Rickettsial biological agents RI - rocky mountain spotted fever UY - rocky mountain spotted fever OU - Q fever MN - wet-type OU NT - dry-type OU YE - human typhus AV - murine typhus
Viral biological agents OJ - yellow fever UT - yellow fever LU - yellow fever FA - Rift Valley fever NU - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus TD - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus FX - Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus ZX - Eastern equine encephalitis virus ZL - smallpox AN - Japanese B encephalitis
Biological vectors AP = Aedes aegypti mosquito
Biological toxins
X - botulinum toxin A XR - partially purified botulinum toxin A W - ricin toxin WA - ricin toxin UC - staphylococcal enterotoxin B PG - staphylococcal enterotoxin B TZ - saxitoxin SS - saxitoxin PP - tetrodotoxin
Others Simulants MR - molasses residuum BG - Bacillus globigii BS - Bacillus globigii U - Bacillus globigii SM - Serratia marcescens P - Serratia marcescens AF - Aspergillus fumigatus mutant C-2 EC - Escherichia coli BT - Bacillus thuringiensis EH - Erwinia herbicola FP - fluorescent particle
Radiological agent
RA -
References
Bibliography