Chemical Weapons

» Subsections: Blister Agents — Choking Agents — Blood Agents — Nerve Agents

» Links: 1995 Tokyo Subway Attack

It was a warm and sunny day on April 22, 1915 in Flanders. French, Algerian, and Canadian troops were holding the war-ravaged village of Neuve-Chapelle. At about 5PM, a grayish-green fog appeared to rise from the German trenches and drift towards the Algerians. The fog covered the Algerian trenches and flowed into the Algerian ranks like water. Suddenly, the Canadians saw the Algerian soldiers running to the rear, coughing and choking. Their departure left an 8000-yard gap in the Allied line.

Several minutes later, the fog drifted to the Canadian lines. The Canadians received a small taste of what the Algerians had been through, but, fortunately, it was only a taste. They were able to hold their line and repel the German infantry pushing forward as soon as the green fog started to dissipate.

This was the first use of deadly gas in modern warfare.

What Are Chemical Weapons?

Chemical warfare is the intentional use of poisonous substances that results in death or injury. These weapons use chemical toxins or poisons in order to kill or incapacitate the victim. Chemical warfare is less destructive than nuclear weapons and landmines. They do not cause massive destruction of land, but rather of living things. They rely on chemical effects rather than physical effects such as blast and heat. Chemical weapons can take the form of gases, liquids, or powders. During warfare, the chemicals used are known as Chemical Weapon Agents (CWA). About 70 chemical agents have been used in the 20th century.

Most weaponized gases are heavier than air. Instead of dissipating into the upper atmosphere, they flow to the lowest points on the ground. Nowadays, chemical weapons can be given off as powders, smoke formations, or aerosols (small, fine particles supsended in a gas like fog and smoke). The wind can then disperse them to a wide target area.

Types of Chemical Weapons Agents

Weaponized chemical agents can be classified into the following categories:

Blister Agents

» Subsections: Mustard Gas — Lewisite

Blister agents, also known as vesicants, are toxic substances that cause wounds to the skin and mucous membranes, the tissues that line body cavities such as the mouth and nose. Blister agents literally induce blisters within a few hours from the time they come into contact with living tissue. They also cause damage to the eyes, respiratory system, and internal organs.

Choking Agents

» Subsections: Chlorine — Phosgene — Diphosgene

Choking are heavier gases that create fluid buildup in lungs and cause death from lack of oxygen. They cause inflammation of the lung tissue. As a result, large quantities of fluid from the bloodstream enter the lungs, causing pulmonary edema. Victims of choking agents "drown" in from their own bodily fluids. Choking agents are also known as pulmonary agents.

Blood Agents

» Subsections: Arsine — Cyanide

Blood agents, also known as cyanogen agents, are substances that are absorbed into the body through inhalation. They interfere with the transport of oxygen gas throughout the body by damaging body tissues. Blood agents have the capacity to kill by asphyxiation (suffocation) within 15 minutes. They do not actually affect the blood itself. Instead, blood agents exert their toxic effect at the cellular level by interrupting the electron transport chain in mitochondria and subsequently disrupting ATP synthesis. A common example of a blood agent is carbon monoxide.

Nerve Agents

» Subsections: Effects of Nerve Agents — G-Series — Sarin — Tabun — Soman — V-Series — VX

Discovered in the 1930's by German scientists, nerve agents are much more lethal than World War I chemical weapons. They can enter into the body through inhalation or through the skin. They cause damage to the nervous system, leading to loss of muscle control and, more commonly, death as a resuslt of paralysis of the respiratory system. They can cause breathing problems, confusion, convulsions, and ultimately death.

Recent Use

In 1969, the accidental release of poison gas in Utah resulted in the deaths of thousands of sheep and left local residents with long-term health problems. Russia has hundreds of former secret chemical weapons dumps leaking poisons into the water and soil.

The Japanese used mustard gas and other chemical agents against the Chinese in World War II before the US and other Western nations became involved. The Chinese had no power to retaliate.

Difficult to Produce?

It is relatively simple to manufacture some chemical weapons. Production involves many processes that are adapted from standard commercial engineering principles. Agents such as mustard gas are very easy to produce. Many chemists are familiar with the principles behind building a chemical weapon, and the literature about chemical weapons is easily accessible through mediums such as the Internet.

Chemical weapons can be produced in factories that produce commercial products, since both use the same precursors (substances from which other products are formed). Any nation with a petrochemical (chemical such as plastic derived from petroleum or natural gas) plant or fertilizer industry has the ability to produce chemical weapons. It takes only a matter of weeks or months to convert a commercial fertilizer plant into a military nerve gas plant.

Fortunately, there is a bright side. The manufacture of chemical weapons agents requires large sites to produce the chemicals and to store them once they have been synthesized. The large plants give off waste gases that can be detected and monitored.