Chemical weapon designation 2431749 208208268 2008-04-25T22:19:47Z 216.119.215.193 /* Biological Toxins */ [[Chemical weapons|Chemical]], [[biological weapons|biological]], and [[nuclear weapons|radiological]] warfare agents are sometimes assigned what is termed a '''military symbol'''. Military symbols evolved out of the [[First World War]] from the [[United Kingdom|British]] in part for secrecy, and to simplify reference to chemicals by something other than a [[chemical name]]. These symbols are sometimes applied as marking on weapons to indicate the agent contents. Military symbols constantly change and have transitory definitions. For example, [[mustard gas]] was assigned the military symbol originally HS for "Hun Stuff". Later in the First World War the S in HS signified mustard gas that had about 25% [[solvent]] added to it. This was only in England, as HS was adopted as the military symbol by the [[United States]] - signifying crude mustard. In the [[Second World War]] the purity of mustard gas was improved through [[distillation]], and this purified chemical warfare agent was designated HD. When it was mixed with a [[thickener]] ([[Agent VV]]), it was given the symbol HV. Today mustard gas is indicated by the single capital letter H, but HD is still in common use. Military symbols can also 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 Sunshine]]. Another device in assigning military symbols is in honor of the person that had devised the agent, such as Agent TZ ([[saxitoxin]]), which was derived after the name of its principal investigator, Dr. [[Edward Shantz]]. Numbers are occasionally added to military symbols to reflect particular preparations. With [[riot control agent]]s a 1 signifies micropulverized (e.g., CS1), and a 2 signified microencapsulated (e.g., CS2). With [[biological agent]]s a 1 signifies a wet-type agent (e.g., UL1), and a 2 signifies a dry-type agent (e.g., UL2). [[Binary chemical weapon]]s are signified by adding a 2, as in binary [[sarin]] (i.e., GB2). Other formulations have their own designation. When the [[Tear Agent]] CS is formulated in a solvent it is signified by CSX. When agents are thickened with the addition of a [[polymer]] a T is usually added to the beginning of the symbol (e.g, thickened soman is TGD). The tear agent [[mace (spray)|Mace]], or Agent CN, had been formulated in several solvent forms, indicated by CNB (with [[benzene]]), CNC (with [[chloroform]]), and CNS (with [[chloropicrin]] and chloroform). Mixtures of agents have been identified with either a hyphen (e.g., CN-DM), or combining letters of the two agents (e.g., HD mixed with L is HL). Furthermore, one [[strain (biology)|strain]] of the biological agent [[Tularemia]] has the symbol SR (lethal Schu strain), while another strain has JT (incapacitant 452 strain). Military symbols for agents change form time to time for administrative reasons as well. For preserving secrecy, [[tularemia]]'s symbol UL1 and UL2 was changed to TT and ZZ at one time, and then later to SR. During the [[Second World War]] [[cyanogen chloride]]'s symbol was changed from CK to CC - when it became apparent that CC marked [[munitions]] might be mistaken for CG ([[phosgene]]), the symbol was changed back. The following designations are, or have been, used by the United States: == Blood Agents == *AC - [[hydrogen cyanide]] *CK - [[cyanogen chloride]] *SA - [[Arsine]] ==Choking Agents== *CL - [[chlorine]] *CG - [[phosgene]] *DP - [[diphosgene]] *PS - [[chlorpicrin]] *Z - ==Blister Agents== *H - mustard gas *HD - distilled mustard gas *T - O-mustard *Q - sesquemustard *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 ==Tear Agents== *CA - camite *CN - [[mace (spray)|mace]] *CNB - mace-benzene mixture *CNC - mace-chloroform mixture *CND *CNS - mace-chloropicrin-chloroform mixture *CS - *CS1 - micropulverized CS *CS2 - microencapsulated CS *CR - *CH - ==Vomiting Agents== *DA - *DC - *DM - Adamsite ==Psycho Agents== *BZ - 3-quinuclidnl benzilate *SN - sernyl *K - lysergic acid diethylamide ==Nerve Agents== *GA - [[Tabun (nerve agent)|tabun]] [EA1205] *GB - [[sarin]] [EA1208] *GB2 - [[sarin]] as a binary agent from mixing OPA+DF [EA5823] *GD - [[soman]] [EA1210] *GF - [[cyclosarin]] [EA1212] *GE - ethyl sarin *GH - O-isopentyl sarin [EA1221] *GS - S-butyl sarin [EA1255] *VE - [EA1517] *VM - Edemo [EA1664] *VS - [EA1677] *VP - (3-pyridyl 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl methylphosphonate) [EA1511] *VR - (O-isobutyl S-(2-diethaminoethyl) methylphosphothioate) *VX - [EA1701] *GV - (dimethylaminoethyl phosphorodimethyl amidoylfluoridate)[EA5365] *VG - Amiton (O,O-diethyl-S-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl] phosphorothioate) [EA1508] ==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 brucelosis *US - porcine brucellosis *NX - porcine brucellosis *AM - caprine brucellosis *BX - caprine brucellosis *Y - bacterial dysentery *LA - Glanders *HI - Melioidosis *DK - diptheria *TQ - listeriosis ==Chlamydial Biological Agents== *SI - psisticosis ==Rickettsial Biological Agents== *RI - rocky mountain spotted fever *UY - rocky mountain spooted 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 Encephalomylitis *TD - Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis *FX - Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis *ZX - Eastern Equine Encephalomylitis *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 - staphyloccocal enterotoxin B *PG - staphyloccocal enterotoxin B *TZ - saxitoxin *SS - saxitoxin *PP - tetrodotoxin ==Simuants== *MR - molasis residium *BG - Bacillus globigii *BS - Bacillus globigii *U - Bacillus globigii *SM - Serratia marescens *P - Serratia marescens *AF - Aspergillus fumigatus mutant C-2 *EC - E. coli *BT - Bacillus thursidius *EH - Erwinia hebicola *FP - florescent particle ==Radiological Agent== *RA - [[Category:Chemical warfare]] [[Category:Military terminology]]