Chemical weapons are deadly, in-humane, not safe, and overkill. They are consider WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and have been on the rise since the early 1900s. These weapons are past and present proof that chemistry can crossover into technology. And have a huge impact on society for decades.
Chemical weapons originated in early World War I. They were simple grenades or mortars filled with common chemicals. These specialized grenades were popularized by the Germans and then were seen used by even the Allied Forces. They were popularized by their area of effect and useful in the trench warfare.
There are several different types of chemical weapons and they all have different effects on their victims. All the effects being extremely painful and horrifying. There are Blister Agents, Nerve Agents, Blood Agents, and Choking Agents. All of these agents being chemically and illegally formed.
The first being Vesicant, or blister agents. These contained mustard gas or C4H8Cl2S. It left its victims covered in water blisters that were painful beyond belief. These blisters are caused by the chemicals increasing the skin's sensitivity to light, making it burn severely.
Next is Nerve Agents, which are considered to be organophosphates. Nerve agents work by stopping flow of ACh, which is responsible of muscle contraction. When effected it leaves you with no control of your body, leading you to a slow painful death.
Then, there is Blood Agents. Blood Agents are fast acting, cyanide or arsenic type of positions. They work quickly and go into your bloodstream. At short term exposures it can just cause dizziness and nausea. But long term can cause brain damage and muscle paralysis.
Last but not least there is Choking Agents. Choking age...
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...ons on its own citizens in early 2013.
I think chemical weapons will have a bad impact on the future of society. Even though we have learned our lesson about how dangerous they are, and we have outlawed them, I still think they will reappear. And the next time they'll be even stronger due to advancements in technology. Maybe we will see them in the next big war or if governments fall so will laws and they can be used by militias now due to technology making them easier to make. I think the huge governments are the only thing keeping them contained.
Chemical Weapons are weapons of mass destruction that are unbelievably dangerous and lethal. They can kill hundreds of people in an area in less than seconds. All while they have no clue. Thats proof that advancement in Chemistry and Technology should be controlled and that not all of Chemistry’s history is good history.
B”Heller, C.E (1984). Leavenworth papers No 10. Chemical warfare in world war I. Combat studies institute”.
The two chemical weapons that were used were: nerve agent and mustard gas. Nerve agent has two main classes that are Class G and Class V. Class V is more new, however less fatal. The specific nerve agent used by the Iraqis is Cyclosarin. Cyclosarin is an extremely toxic substance used as a chemical weapon, which is a member of Class G. Cyclosarin is the most dangerous gas out of both classes. It is known to have a sweet smell and is also flammable unlike other nerve gases. Mustard gas on the other hand is yellow and smells like garlic. Both gases cause death in minutes and have long lasting effects. These can include diseases and other horrible problems. Many of these diseases cannot be cured, for the cells have been damaged and cannot be repaired.
"Chemical Warfare Agents - Resources on the health effects from chemical weapons, emergency response & treatment, counterterrorism, and emergency preparedness.au.af." Specialized Information Services - Reliable information on toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
Development of the Hydrogen Bomb In the world, there is little thing called power. Many countries want to have great power, few get it. Powers gave the Soviet Union and the U.S. the ability to dominate in wars. In the 1950’s during the Cold War these two countries had a race to see who could create the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen, the Hydrogen Bomb. Edward Teller, an atomic physicist, and Stanislaw Marcin Ulam, a mathematician, "who together developed the Teller-Ulam design in 1951" for the Hydrogen Bomb (Teller-Ulam Design).
Heller, C. E. (1985). Chemical warfare in World War I: the American experience, 1917-1918. Fort Leavenworth, Kan.: Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College ;.
The Agent Orange was a defoliant chemical used by the US in the Vietnam War from 1961 through 1971. This chemical caused a lot of effects too many people. It could have been just a short term effect or a long term effect, it could have killed someone right away or it could have made them suffer then they passed away. This chemical was very dangerous and deadly but was used by the United States military forces.
Weapons and Artillery of World War II The result of World War II was affected by many different factors. One major factor which affected the war was the weapons and artillery used during the war. Since the beginnings of time, weapons have always been around. From swords and knives to nuclear weapons and missiles, weapons have evolved greatly over the years.
Poison gas was perhaps the most feared weapon out of all. Created to overcome the long stalemate style of trench warfare, its purpose was to draw out soldiers hiding in the trenches. One side would throw the poison gas into the enemy trenches and they would either wait for their enemy to come out into open fire or perish in the trenches. The first poison gas used in battle was chlorine at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 by the Germans. Shortly after, followed the phosgene. The effects of these gases were ghastly. Chlorine was the most deadly as "within seconds of inhaling its vapor, it destroys the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks" (Duffy). Phosgene had similar effects, except the fact that the effects started kicking in after 48 hours of inhalation. In September 1917, the Germans introduced the mustard gas or Yperite which was contained in artillery shells against the Russians at Riga. Those exposed t...
Poisons come in different forms and act in different ways. They can act locally, absorption through the body, or both. There are three different categories that poisons are put into: inorganic, organic, and asphyxiants...
By 1917, World War I was the most brutal conflict that had ever been seen on the world stage. It was no longer a war that only involved the European powers, but also countries from all over the world including the United States. During the war, the total number of casualties reached over 37 million and over eight million lives were lost (“WWI Casualty and Death Tables” 1). The extremely high number of casualties was mostly caused by new developments in warfare technology. One of the most well remembered weapons of World War I was mustard gas. Mustard gas caused the soldiers’ skin and internal organs to blister and could be fatal, but could take anywhere from a week to an entire month to claim the lives of its victims from the inside out. Mustard gas has gone down in history as one of the most dreaded elements of the war. This horrific example of chemical weaponry is just one of the numerous amounts of new warfare technology used during the First World War, including other types of chemical weapons, machine guns, bombing techniques, airplanes, submarines and radio.
(B) any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors;
...rous and damaging to a person causing life time effects such as liver cancer or maybe even a tumor.
The soviets tested several deadly poisons on prisoners in the gulag like mustard gas, ricin, digitoxin and several others. The soviets wanted and tried hard to find a tasteless and...
In conclusion, it is clear that a biological weapon is wrong. When Saddam Hussein threatened to turn the Persian Gulf War into “the mother of all wars” the world shook with the possible implications. The United States managed to divert the course of the war such as this did not happen. In other situation these results have not been as successful, unfortunately, and many people have suffered and died. I hope that civilization is moving towards total illumination of biological weaponry.