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.
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.
In the years leading to World War II, the United States had a significant concern that the axis forces would likely use toxic gases just as they had during World War I. This fear drove the CWS to begin analyzing and adjusting the stockpiles of chemicals in their facilities. They came to the realization that they would need to have an aggressive plan in order to produce enough chemical weapons to initiate a significant retaliation if the time came. As the timeline progressed, CWS would reorganize their assets to meet the growing needs in production and distribution of chemical weapons.
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.
The earliest military uses of chemicals were tear-inducing irritants rather than fatal or disabling poisons. During the first World War, the French army was the first to employ gas, using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas in August 1914. German troops fired fragmentation shells filled with a chemical irritant (agent that stimulates) against British positions at Neuve Chapelle, though the concentration
"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.
The French were the first to start experimenting on chemical agents in 1912. They first used it on their people as riot control to capture criminals that who had robbed a bank. They used 26 millimeter grenades filled with chemical agents into the center of the group criminals they were attempting to apprehend. It was not said if it was effective but continued to look into using it for other means. However, the Germans at this time had not been interested in producing any kinds of chemical weapons.
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...
Chemical warfare is the use of chemical agents to injure, incapacitate, or kill enemy combatants. First seen during World War I (WWI), the devastating effects of widespread chemical warfare were eventually deemed inhumane by an international consensus and chemical agents were subsequently banned from use. Still, despite the tendency of the modern warrior to overlook antiquated tactics, the threat of chemical agents in the theater of war cannot be entirely discounted by today's Soldier. By analyzing the application, evolution, and overall legacy of chemical weapons in the Great War we can work to minimize the danger they pose in current conflicts and those of the near future. For it is only by understanding the past that we can understand the present and shape tomorrow.
To begin, during World War one Germans first developed poisonous gas and brought them into war by 1915. Chlorine was the first gas brought into trench warfare as a grenade-like projectile. In the beginning of poisonous gas usage, soldiers didn’t know that the poisonous gas existed so the gas cloud unknowingly forming put soldiers into fear and would cause a few casualties. Soon after, France developed phosgene gases that is 18 times more powerful than chlorine gas. In the first appearance of phosgene gas, which was at Ypres, soldiers would get blinded. Germans further developed another gas, mustard gas. Mustard gas was the most brutal and more developed. It was produced in 75 or 105 shells rather than the regular grenade-like projectiles. Mustard gas caused painful blisters internally and externally, burns skin and more. The introduction to mustard gas brought the most disabled soldiers, deaths, terror and overall brought emotional and physical pain to those affected.
Poison gas, one of the most deadly of all the weapons used in this war. This weapon did not kill as many as some of the other weapons but it caused terrible suffering and did cause death sooner or later. The first gas to come about was chlorine, created by the Germans in the Battle of Ypres. Chlorine would destroy victims respiratory organs and cause breathing attacks, sometimes death. The allies were shocked at this new weapon and retaliated by creating Phosgene, even more deadly than mustard gas. Phosgene took down victims in less than 48 hours with excruciating pain. Gas sometimes backfired on the people controlling it so they would wear gas masks to cover their face from the deadly gas. The next gas created was the most deadly of them all, Mustard gas.
Mustard gas was not the only example of chemical weaponry used during World War I. The first example of this was the Germans use of a gas called phosgene in mid-1915, which caused drastic damage to the lungs (Mack 2). The Germans began using mustard gas in 1916 and soon both sides began to use poison gas as a weapon. At a lab at American University, which at its peak employed over 1,200 scientists specifically to create chemical weapons for the war, a new gas called Lewisite was developed. Lewisite poisoned its victims through the skin and rendered gas masks useless against it. During the war as many as 50 different gases were used by both sides (Mack 2). When the war e...
(C) any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector (as those terms are defined in section 178 of this title)
Chemical weapons and their use is one of the most important issues facing the world today. Not only is the use of such weapons highly controversial, but also the very idea of such weapons of mass destruction being in the hands of dangerous leaders. Next to nuclear weapons they are the most feared, and the prospect of these weapons not only concerns people, but also frightens them. As a result of these fears, America has entered a new war that could bring devastating effects upon our world. It is a very sensitive topic among many countries, and is out of hand primarily because of the introduction of chemical weapons to the world in the First World War. Many people have the same feelings about chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are wrong and those that exist in the world should be destroyed, but it is not that simple. Chemical weapons are very dangerous and even after their destruction, they are still very hazardous. Innocent people are being killed accidentally with chemical weapons, whether it is poor storage or bad transportation. The fact is that chemical weapons need to be destroyed, through very careful means. The production and use of chemical weapons is ethically wrong based on the devastating effects they have on the entire world. The weapons are something that is very difficult to get rid of, and we need to develop better ways to protect ourselves against their use and disposal.
The use of chemicals in weapons dates back thousands of years, from poison arrows to poisonous fumes. However chemical warfare took a new approach during World War I. The first large scale attack was chlorine in april 1915. World War II brought on a entire new spectrum of chemical weapons and many countries obtained large stockpiles.1There are four different categories in which chemical weapons are organized based on what the effects are. The first category is blister agents which cause blistering of the skin. The second category is choking agents which cause the airway passages in the victim's throat to close resulting in death. The third category is nerve agents which causes damages to the victims nerves. The most recent uses of chemical weapons was on august 21, 2013 in Damascus ,Syria which resulted in numerous casualties.2
With the use of chemical weapons will come new diseases and sicknesses that the world will not have an antidote or cure. “Not all chemical weapons kill, many of them cause sickness and pain to immobilize the victims.” According to ThinkQuest, in some cases there is bacteria in chemical weapons to create a reaction. These bacteria could spread and would cause more harm than good. Some of these new viruses will not have cures and could cause genetic mutations, which then would be passed on to offspring spreading it even farther.