T-2 (also known as "Yellow Rain"), a trichothecene mycotoxin, is a naturally-occurring mold byproduct of Fusarium spp fungus which is toxic to humans and animals. Trichothecenes are a very large family of chemically related mycotoxins produced by various species of Fusarium Myrothecium Trichoderma Trichothecium Cephalosporium Verticimonosporium Mycotoxin (from the Greek μύκης (mykes mukos "fungus" is a Toxin produced by an organism of the Fungus kingdom which includes Mushrooms WikipediaManual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English --> Molds (or Fusarium is a large genus of filamentous Fungi widely distributed in soil and in association with plants A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ The clinical condition it causes is alimentary toxic aleukia and a host of symptoms on organs as diverse as the skin, airway, and stomach. It is the only mycotoxin known to have been used as a biological weapon, but ingestion may come from moldy whole grains. Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium
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History
T-2 was discovered as a weapon by Russian scientists after a spring harvest delayed by World War II produced flour contaminated with Fusarium and distributed in bread. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Many were sickened, some fatally. T-2 has also been suggested as a cause of the Plague of Athens (430 BC). The Plague of Athens was a devastating Epidemic which hit the City-state of Athens in ancient Greece during the second year of the Peloponnesian T-2 is an infrequent contaminant in animal feed.
T-2 was proposed as a cause of Gulf War Syndrome for some United States troops exposed to a mortar shell shot by Iraqi forces during the Persian Gulf War and as the substance used to poison Viktor Yushchenko during his 2004 presidential election campaign (though doctors now believe it was dioxin). Gulf War syndrome (GWS or Gulf War illness (GWI is an Illness reported by combat Veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War typified by Symptoms The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( Ukrainian: Viktor Andrijovyč Juščenko) (born February 23 1954) is the third and current President of Not to be confused with Dioxane or Digoxin. Dioxin is a heterocyclic, organic, antiaromatic compound
"Yellow Rain" incidents (1975-84)
The name yellow rain derives from a political incident in which the United States attempted to blame the Soviet Union for using chemical warfare agents. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the context of the late Cold War, this charge would have had very serious repercussions, including stalling efforts to get the United States Senate to ratify treaties. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives
The charges stemmed from events in Laos and Vietnam beginning in 1975, when the two communist governments, which were allied with and supported by the Soviet Union, retaliated against Hmong tribes, peoples who had sided with the United States during the Vietnam War. Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The terms Hmong (m̥ɔ̃ŋ and Mong ( both refer to an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southern China. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia [1] Refugees fled from what they described as chemical warfare attacks by low-flying aircraft; most of the reports were of a yellow, oily liquid that the Hmong dubbed "yellow rain". Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. Those exposed suffered neurological and physical symptoms including seizures, blindness, and bleeding. A symptom' (from Greek σύμπτωμα, "accident misfortune that which befalls" from συμπίπτω, "I befall" from Similar reports came from the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Through to 1981, at least 6,500 fatalities occurred as a result of chemical incidents in Laos alone.
In 1981, after noting etiological similarities, U. Etiology (alternatively aetiology, aitiology) is the study of causation. S. chemical weapons experts matched samples taken from an alleged attack in Laos to trichothecene signatures, and hypothesized that T-2 was discovered accidentally through contamination and later weaponized. Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Trichothecenes are a very large family of chemically related mycotoxins produced by various species of Fusarium Myrothecium Trichoderma Trichothecium Cephalosporium Verticimonosporium Secretary of State Alexander Haig announced in September 1981 that
- For some time now, the international community has been alarmed by continuing reports that the Soviet Union and its allies have been using lethal chemical weapons in Laos, Kampuchea, and Afghanistan. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Alexander Meigs Haig Jr (born December 2 1924 is a retired four-star General in the United States Army who served as the U Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 . . . We have now found physical evidence from Southeast Asia which has been analyzed and found to contain abnormally high levels of three potent mycotoxins--poisonous substances not indigenous to the region and which are highly toxic to man and animals. [2]
In 1983, a now-declassified CIA report summarized the history of T-2 development in the Soviet Union, where it was referred to as lebeda, Russian for millet or animal feed, and weaponized for aerial delivery. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all
In 1983, these charges were disputed by Harvard biologist and biological weapons opponent Matthew Meselson and his team, who traveled to Laos and conducted a separate investigation. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Matthew Stanley Meselson (b May 24, 1930) is an American Geneticist and molecular biologist whose research was important in showing how DNA replicates Meselson's team noted that trichothecene mycotoxins occur naturally in the region and questioned the witness testimony, suggesting an alternate hypothesis that the yellow rain was the harmless fecal matter of honeybees. This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees The Meselson team offered the following as evidence: separate "yellow rain drops" which occurred on the same leaf, and which were "accepted as authentic", consisted largely of pollen; each drop contained a different mix of pollen grains, as one would expect if they came from different bees, and the grains showed properties characteristic of pollen processed by bees (the protein inside the pollen was gone, while the outer indigestible shell remained. Further, the pollen came from plant species typical of the area where the drop was collected. [3][4]
The different composition is striking, as it implies that the Soviets would have had to have very sophisticated mixing apparatus, that could take pollen from local plants, treat it as done by bees, and then mix the pollen into different drops, such that different drops contain different pollens. In addition, many of the "native people" who made claims that they were attacked by chemical weapons could reasonably be seen as partial to the US.
The question of what exactly "Yellow Rain" was has never been fully resolved.
References
External links
- Detailed information about mycotoxins
- US Military Gulf War Syndrome site
- T-2 mycotoxin exports to Iraq
- The 'Yellow rain' controversy
- Meselson report summary
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