Plant tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine are very strong anticholinergic drugs used in medicine and also found their place in military medicine, in particular atropine as an antidote in case of poisonings by nerve gases. Atropine and scopolamine both easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier and may cause central nervous system toxicity. Its symptoms are delirium, restlessness, confusion, and impairment of mental capacities. Scopolamine is much more likely to produce sedation and amnesia than atropine. Synthetic atropine-like compounds are also strong anticholinergics, and found use as a modern type of chemical weapons that incapacitate enemy for some time, but do not kill him. They are so-called non-lethal weapons, which are able to temporarily disable personnel from combat action and to protect the environment without limiting desired negative consequences to the enemy’s national economy. Such non-lethal weapons is Agent BZ.

Biomedical Research Centre University Hospital Hradec Kralove Czech Republic

Institute of Radiology Toxicology and Civil Protection Faculty of Health and Social Studies University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic

NBC Defence Institute University of Defence Vyškov Czech Republic

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