近日，马来西亚警方称，收到关于机场身亡朝鲜籍男子的初步验尸报告。通过对眼粘膜和脸部样本的分析发现，认定毒物为一种剧毒的有机磷酸酯，常见名为：VX（神经毒剂），其在《化学武器公约2005》中被列为化学武器。

VX 究竟是什么？

有多毒？

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VX:The Nerve Agent Used To Kill Kim Jong Nam Is Rare And Deadly

February 24, 2017 3:34 PM ET

NPR NEWS

AUDIE CORNISH: There are fresh twists[1] today in the apparent assassination of the half-brother[2] of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. The brother, Kim Jong Nam, died last week at an airport in Malaysia. Security footage[安全(监控)录像] showed that two women poisoned him. Now today, Malaysian authorities revealed it wasn't just any poison but a chemical weapon known as VX.

[1]twist:a change in the way in which something happens 变化；转折；改变

The story took a surprise twist today with media reports that the doctor had resigned.

媒体报道该医生已经辞职，从而使事情在今天有了惊人的转折。

[2]half-brother:a brother who is the son of only one of your parents 同父异母（或同母异父）的兄弟

Joining me to discuss what to make of this is NPR science editor Geoff Brumfiel. Hey there, Geoff.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: Hi, there.

CORNISH: So start just by telling me, what is VX?

BRUMFIEL: Well, VX is a colorless, odorless liquid[无色无味液体]. It's about the consistency of motor oil[发动机油], and it is extremely deadly. Less than a drop of this stuff on your skin - it'll absorb straight through, and within minutes, you'll start to feel headaches, nausea[3], tightness in the chest. What it actually does is it disrupts signals between nerves and muscles. That ultimately leads to the paralysis[麻痹;瘫痪] in the muscles you use to breathe and you suffocate[4]. It's a nasty way to go.

[3]nausea ['nɔːziə]

the feeling that you are going to vomit 恶心，呕吐感

Signs of the illness include fever, nausea, and vomiting.

这种病的症状包括发烧、恶心和呕吐。

[4]suffocate ['sʌfəkeɪt]

to (cause someone to) die because of not having enough oxygen （使）窒息而死；（使）闷死

The report said that the victims had suffocated in the fumes.

报告称那些受害者是被烟熏死的。

CORNISH: How could you use something like that in an airport and have no one else be harmed?

BRUMFIEL: Well, this is the interesting thing about VX. It's a chemical weapon, and when you disperse[扩散;散开;分散] it, you can hurt a lot of people. But in its liquid form, it's actually kind of safe, I guess you could say. That's because it's very stable. It doesn't sort of off-gas, so no one nearby can be exposed to it. And you can seal it in a bottle and transport it around, take it through airport security. It's very unlikely to go detected. So in a way, it's sort of the perfect weapon for assassinating a single person when it's used in a particular way.

CORNISH: Now, does the use of VX tell us anything about whether North Korea specifically was involved?

BRUMFIEL: Yeah because this is not just any poison. This is a chemical weapon that has been banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention[化学武器公约2005]. And most countries, you know, have vowed never to use it. North Korea is one of the few countries that hasn't signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention. It's believed to have lots of chemical weapons, including VX. So if this use of VX is verified, that would kind of point the finger at[5] the North Korean state in particular as a suspect in this crime.

[5]point the finger at sb:to accuse someone of being responsible for something bad that has happened 指责（某人）

Unhappy tourists have pointed the finger at unhelpful travel agents.

不满的游客纷纷指责旅行社办事不力。

CORNISH: In the meantime, what more have we learned about why North Korea would want Kim Jong Nam dead?

BRUMFIEL: This is a real mystery. There's not much evidence that this Kim brother was a particular threat. He lived most of his life outside of North Korea. He was a bit of a playboy. Now, there is a theory that China wanting Kim Jong Nam around in case something happened to Kim Jong Un, the current leader of North Korea, the idea being that Kim Jong Nam is part of the dynasty that has ruled North Korea and could be brought in if something happened or to prevent the collapse of the regime.

Kim Jong Un may not have liked that idea and may have wanted to try and head it off[6] by getting rid of his half-brother. Certainly Kim Jong Un has assassinated political rivals within North Korea. We know he's capable of it.

[6]head sth off:to prevent a difficult or unpleasant situation from happening 防止，阻止（困难或不好的情况发生）

The company is putting up wages to head off a strike.

公司准备提高工资以防罢工。

CORNISH: You know, we hear so much about North Korea whenever it tests a missile obviously or a nuclear weapon. Is there any connection between those stories and what happened in Malaysia?

BRUMFIEL: I think there is a way to think about these things all together. I think it's important not to take one's eye off the ball[7] here. I mean the real threat here is North Korea's missile and nuclear program. They have been developing very rapidly. You know, North Korea now has ballistic missiles[弹道导弹] that pose a significant threat to some of the U.S.'s allies in the region. It's thought that soon they'll have an intercontinental ballistic missile[洲际弹道导弹] that could reach anywhere inside the continental United States.

[7]take your eye off the ball:to not give your attention to what you are doing at the time 不注意；不小心

If you're a manager, you can't afford to take your eye off the ball for one minute.

如果你是经理，就必须时刻小心谨慎。

And so I think it's important to understand that what we're looking at here is a regime that is increasingly isolated[一个日益孤立的政权], that is, you know, doing all sorts of things that are on the fringe of what the global community considers acceptable. And it's a dangerous situation.

CORNISH: That's NPR's science editor Geoff Brumfiel. Geoff, thanks so much.

BRUMFIEL: Thank you.