Just heard an news update on the radio. A chemical weapons team stationed in Iraq conducted a field test of some canisters from one of the caches they’ve found and report that it’s Sarin Gas. Most is being sent out for lab testing.

I've been following this along since last night or first thing this morning. Given some of the other premature announcements from the field, I'm a bit leery of crowing too much about it ... but it certainly sounds "promising."

Reports are now coming back that it's testing as pesticides, not Sarin -- very similar chemical make-up.

Of course, chops to the military that their initial reports were marked as preliminary, and that they reported the truth when it turned out (apparently) to be disappointing.

While it could indeed be pesticides (and the Fox vehicles are quite sensitive) many pesticides are very much dual-use chemicals. Phosgene, thiodyglycol, and thionyl chloride are used for perfumes, inks, epoxies, and vitamins.

Remeber the Sudan "chemical plant/vitamin plant" strike in '98? Dual-use factories and chemicals can be confusing.

Zyklon-B from the Concentration camps? A derivitive of the chemicals used to make Prussian Blue dye.

Hydrogen cyanide is used for acrylic polymers

Chemicals for Mustard Gas are used to make inks

But then something like tabun (which is said to have been detected) is pretty complex to produce is and single use.

Chemicals to make Sarins have a shelf-life of 30 years or more.

Once it is all over and we can look closer at thier processes, we'll be able to tell if it was American, German-French, British or Soviet techniques because we all make G and V agents with different equipment and stages.

Fox vehicle doesn't mean that it's got a Shepard Smith and the Simpons painted on the side.

It's a Fox M93A1 Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance System

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m93a1.htm

"I rolled a 15 on my Knowledge: Chemical Weapons, and I have a Fox Vehicle with me, which adds 10 to my roll. Do I detect Sarin?"

***Dave...

That is the second funniest thing I read all day.

Thanks for the Laugh!

GM: Umm... Yeah, but you blew the Spot roll putting your mask on, so give me a DC30 Fort save.
Player: Sonuva...