MUSTARD GAS Ever heard of MUSTARD GAS? These are poisonous, blistering agents which cause a chemical reaction by producing acid. On exposure to Mustard gas, painful water blisters appear on the body's exposed surface. Mustard gas exhibits a cytotoxic effect by penetrating the cells and rupturing their membrane. WHEN WAS IT USED? Mustard gas is one of the strongest blistering agents, which was used as warfare. It was first utilized by French troops in the year 1914 when they fired tear-gas grenades against the Germans. Though, an effective study was conducted by the Germans regarding Mustard gas and then used by their army in 1917 against British and Canadian soldiers in Belgium, near the town of YPRES in WORLD WAR I. Along with mustard gas, phosgene also came into existence, during WORLD WAR I. …show more content…
NATURE OF MUSTARD GAS. Mustard gas is a common name of Sulfur mustard, which chemical compound bis-(2chloroethyl) sulfide, which is a colorless, viscous liquid at room temperature. However, in impure form it can exhibit yellow-brown color. It has a similar odor of mustard plants, from where the name originates, but it also compared to the smell of garlic or horse radish. A hand grenade is used as a weapon for en mass destruction. Sulfur mustard usually had no lethal effects. The appearance of symptoms depends on the concentration of gas and the exposed area. In mild to moderate exposure, the symptoms appear after 24 hours of exposure and the effect wears off after several weeks with adequate medical care. In rare instances, symptoms may remain. WHAT EFFECTS DOES MUSTARD GAS HAS ON EXPOSURE: Mustard gas shows varying degree of effects on skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It is absorbed into the body via ingestion, inhalation or skin
These applications include pesticide, herbicide, defoliating agent such as Agent Orange, cleaning agent and electrical insulation. Consequently, human exposure to dioxin is not a recent phenomenon and the dangers of dioxin are not unknown. Only in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War, has the media concentrated on the dangers and impact of dioxin. The physical effect of exposure to dioxin was first seen in skin diseases developed by chemical plant workers in 1895. Exposure to dioxin results in a type of skin disease like acne called "chloroacne," since its cause was initially and incorrectly linked to chlorine gas.
Looking back at how the chemical weaponry expanded starting in the beginning of World War 1, it all began with Tear gas which was used by the French in August of 1914. Those techniques have been used in ancient times. Moving forward eight months in to the war the Germans have been giving great study in to the development of chemical weapons due to the first usage from the French and witnessed its great effectiveness and were the first to use it in a large scale.
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.
"Federation of American Scientists :: Types of Chemical Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
middle of paper ... ... The big three gases are chlorine, phosgene gas and mustard gas. The one most widely used was mustard gas because it was less detectable. Eventually the tank was invented, the tank was almost impossible to stop so they used it to break through enemy lines especially to break through the trenches.
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921). Chemical warfare,. New York [etc.: McGraw-Hill book company, inc..
The statement “Killing 150,000 people in less than a second actually allowed fewer lives to be lost.” might sound horrendous. However, that statement is the reason why the United States was able to win the Second World War. In contrast to this statement, some people might argue that it is inhumane to massacre that many people in less than a second. The dropping of the atomic bombs on August sixth and ninth of 1945 was the correct decision for American in order to effectively and efficiently end World War Two. America should have dropped the bomb because it saved American lives, there was a lack of incentives not to use the bomb, and dropping the bombs was the quickest way to end the war.
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...
It was later known that the EPA or better known as the Environmental Protection Agency banned Agent Orange in the United States when a large number of birth of a baby who is born without any signs of life at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy were reported among mothers in Oregon, where Agent Orange had been heavily used (The Story of Agent Orange). Many Americans were outraged after finding out what Agent Orange has caused to their people. The Vietnam veterans cried for help from the Veterans Administration and usually the response was put on, but the veterans will not back down. These veterans would band together to have studies on the toxic herbicide and bring those studies to the government attention. Despite the veterans’ hard efforts, the
Acid rain has been proven to have damage forests, fresh waters and soils, killing insect and aquatic life-forms. It also causes damage to buildings and impacts on human health. Many people do not know what acid rain actually is. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, low pH levels, higher than normal amounts of sulfuric and nitric acid, occurs naturally and from man made sources. Forms when gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals (what is acid rain?). The only water that will not have some amount of acidity is pure water. Pure water has a pH of 7 which is neutral; regular, unpolluted rain water has a pH of around 5.6. The acidity in rain water comes from the presence of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and Sulfur Dioxide. CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid. Nitrogen and water react during lightning storms, forming Nitric Oxide. NO is then oxidized to form N02. The NO2 reacts with water to form nitric acid. Due to this, the pH is lowered to be slightly acidic (Acid Rain). Acid rain can occur naturally in the environment, but the problem occurs when human interaction is the cause of the acidic levels.
The military uses tear gas to test soldiers' aptitude to put chemical warfare suits on in an appropriate fashion. Tear gas is operative at ending crowds and convincing people out of narrowed spaces because it causes punishing uneasiness by exasperating the eyes, skin and mucous membranes. Tear gas affects the eyes to have some kind of irritation and punishing tearing. The tearing and exasperation are often so harsh that people who have been subjected to tear gas would not be able to see correctly and might not be able to keep their eyes open at all. It is frequent for eyes and eyelids to swell obviously but tear gas can also aggravate the bare skin, causing it to have a burning feeling and a visible
The movie Shock Doctrine revolves around the concept of the same name. The film begins by discussing psychological research on the effects of shock therapy. It is evident that a person under extreme stress and anxiety commonly experienced during a crisis functions and performs inadequately. It is noted that the studies are conducted by a man by the name of Milton Friedman, from the University of Chicago; the studies took place in the past, and some of the subjects are still recovering in the aftermath. From this research, interrogation techniques were learned and the concept of the shock doctrine was formed. Essentially through causing a crisis, the population of a country can be shocked into complying with accepting laws that favors the United States and capitalism. This theory coexists with Friedman’s belief in that government regulation is bad, and through a crisis a country would better itself with deregulation. The video uses Chile as an example and shows how America allowed a crisis to occur in Chile, through coups, interrogations and subterfuge. In the end a new government is formed that allows capitalism. Unfortunately afterwards violence and riots occur, as the rich gain most of the wealth and poverty rises. In addition to Chile, Argentina, Russia and even Iraq underwent the shock doctrine. Almost in every account, poverty rises and violence ends up erupting. The movie ends by showing how the US was in the process of the shock doctrine, and still is but the population has taken notice. Protests such as Occupy Wall Street are some of the initiatives necessary to bring awareness to the problems of class inequalities in order to prevent capitalism from benefitting the rich and increasing the wealth gap among the classes.
Richard M. Nixon once stated, “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now” ("Vietnam War Quotes At Brainyquote"). The Vietnam War is one of the most misunderstood wars in the United State’s history. The Vietnam War is the longest war ever fought by the United States lasting from 1954-1975. This war was highly controversial among the public and has left a lasting impact on the countries involved. One of these impacts is the effect of Agent Orange (Britannica.org). The horrific effects of Agent Orange can still be seen today 50 years later; clearly its use was a mistake.
A war crime is an unjust act of violence in which a military personnel violates the laws and acceptable behaviors of a war. Despite all the violence in a war, a soldier shooting another is not considered a war crime because it is not a violation to the laws and practices of a war, and it is considered just. A war crime is defined as a “violations [violation] of the laws and customs of war” (“War Crimes”), and are attacks “against civilian populations, prisoners of war, or in some cases enemy soldiers in the field” (Friedman). War crimes are typically committed with weapons or by uncommon, cruel, devastating military methods and are “…Committed primarily by military personnel” (Friedman). There are many different types of war crimes one can commit, including “murder, ill treatment…murder or ill treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages or devastation not justified by military necessity” (Friedman). Originally constructed as international law by the London Charter on August 8th, 1945 and further developed by the Hague Conventions of 1899, 1907 and the Nuremberg trials, war crimes are aggressive, unacceptable and unjust actions performed by military workforce that occur during a war.