Chemical Weapons Essay

Chemical Weapons

By Luke Fellure

Chemical weapons have been used throughout history, the first recorded use was as early as 600 B.C., when the Athenians poisoned the wells of the Spartans, who then retaliated by throwing burning sulfur pitch over the walls of Athens, trying to fill the city with toxic smoke. Genghis Khan also used sulfur pitch, burning it then catapulting it into cities around A.D. 1200. Many armies even put poisons on arrows and in bullets to make them more lethal. Then, on April 22, 1915 during World War I, the Germans used the first large scale Chemical gas attack. 90,000 were killed and 1 million were injured throughout World War I from chemical weapons. Then the Italians used Mustard Gas in Ethiopia, Japan used blister agents in China and then Syria used Mustard gas on its own people. Chemical weapons are one of the four types of Weapons of Mass Destruction and for good reason.

Today many countries have chemical weapons but most of the have signed a non-proliferation treaty, prohibiting their use. The United States and Russia both have the largest known stockpiles of chemical weapons. Both countries are reducing their stockpiles and destroying chemical weapons as thanks to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The United States, Russia China, Japan and Syria all still have Chemical Weapons while Egypt, Taiwan, Sudan and North Korea might possibly have them. The stockpiles of chemical weapons are increasingly getting smaller.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was founded on April 29th, 1997.It was created to prohibit the production and use of chemical weapons. It oversees the destruction of chemical weapons production facilities and the destruction of all chemical weapons, including chemi...

... middle of paper ...

...llows blood elements and waste products to pass through the capillary wall to tissue spaces. This allows fluid to shift into interstitial and alveolar spaces. Phosgene consists of a carbon atom, an oxygen

atom and two chlorine atoms, COCl2. Phosgene was synthesized by the British chemist John Davy in 1812. Phosgene, as well as the others is banned from use (NCBI).

Chemical warfare has been condemned since it was first used on a massive scale during World War I. Chemical weapons are cheap, can cause mass casualties, and are relatively easy to produce. They have been used in many conflicts during the 20th century. Chemical Weapons, despite the OPCW and other regulations, will continue to be a thought in the back of the minds of sinister people. Chemical weapons have been used since ancient times and will continue to be a part of warfare for many years to come.