CBRN event in Russian Federation on Sat 26th October 2002

Russian doctors treating hostages for the inhalation of the gas deployed during the Moscow theatre siege are using an antidote supplied by the Russian military for a rare form of nerve agent developed in the 1970s, according to chemical warfare experts. Clumsy use of the mysterious nerve agent caused the deaths of at least 115 hostages in addition to disabling most of the 50 Chechen hostage-takers.

The antidote being used is for the group of nerve agents related to the gas BZ, developed by the US military in the 1970s. BZ is a "glycolate" which attacks the central nervous system. It was developed by the US Department of Defence and is considered non-lethal if applied correctly.

Russian authorities initially refused to name the gas that killed the hostages, leading to complaints that it was making their job of treating patients with antidotes much harder. Yet chemical warfare experts told the Guardian that Moscow doctors had been given an antidote by the Russian military for a rare nerve agent developed by the US military, called BZ. Professor Steven Rose, of the Open University, said a Russian counterpart had told him that doctors had been supplied the antidote from a military stockpile.