title: A Comparative Toxidrome Analysis of Human Organophosphate and Nerve Agent Poisonings Using Social Media.
abstract: Here we utilized social media to compare the toxidrome of three lethal chemical exposures worldwide. YouTube videos were the main source from which the data were collected, but published reports and news were also utilized to fill in some gaps. All videos were organized in a database detailing symptoms and severity of each victim, along with demographics such as approximate age and gender. Each symptom was rated as mild, moderate, or severe and corresponding pie graphs for each incident were compared. The videos displayed symptoms ranging from mild to severe cholinergic toxicity and life-threatening convulsions. Social media may represent an important resource in developing a viable approach to the early detection and identification of chemical exposure, reinforce our preparedness for better antidotes, long-term follow up, and training about deadly chemical nerve agent attacks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067397:Nerve Agents / Q000506:poisoning*; D062025:Organophosphate Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D061108:Social Media; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000067397:Nerve Agents