A fatal chemical Reaction for TV Series

[taxi.adam]

I am currently in the process of re-writing an episode for a Science Fiction television series. I have two problems. A scene at a Japanese Naval Base where I need to inflict mass casualty thru a chemical reaction that will affect only the area of the naval base itself, and wipe out all the soldiers.

Right now I have a Sub marine just surfaced and docked. A medical officer gets off the sub, everyone on the sub is infected with a chemical that will react and begin its incubation stage with the change in pressure from inside the sub to outside. The incubation period to full onset of symptoms is 10 minutes, however each crew member can infect anyone they come in contact with, touch, breath too closely too. After 10 minutes the Soldiers begin to burn from the inside out, flesh, fat, tissue melt. This Chemical Reaction infects every solder on the naval base on every ship in port. But has a half life that prevents it from infecting anyone that’s not in close proximity to the base.
Is this possible? How can I best explain this? Any alternate ideas of a chemical or biological weapon that will affect only humans in a certain area and become innate in a short period after infection.

 

[256bits]

Some sort of nanotechnology, that if not in contact with human or animal flesh for say 10 minutes becomes inactive.

 

[Ryuu]

Yeah, the nanotech sounds like a good idea for what the OP wants it to do—doing too much yet arbitrarily limited requires something that can be programmed

 

[mfb]

with the change in pressure from inside the sub to outside

Why do you expect a pressure difference?

however each crew member can infect anyone they come in contact with, touch, breath too closely too.

You need something replicating for that (like bacteria, virus or maybe some futuristic artificial life/nanotech), I don't see how this could work with chemicals.
Everything natural with those properties would die out within hours, so it has to be artificial.