Lewis Nelson, chair of the department of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is available to comment on how the nerve agent Novichok, which was shown to have been used on Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, affects the body.
“The Novichok series of nerve agents contains highly potent and effective poisons that interfere with neural function throughout the entire body,” Nelson says. “Referred to as ‘fourth generation’ nerve agents, they work in a similar manner to other organophosphate agents, including those that have been weaponized such as sarin and VX. Clinical effects of nerve agents, most of which are not gases, include changes in mentation, difficulty breathing, and muscle weakness and paralysis.”
Media interested in interviewing Nelson can contact Patti Verbanas at patti.verbanas@rutgers.edu or 848-932-0551.
