Mustard Gas
The beginning of chemical warfare
How it was invented
Fritz Haber
German chemist Fritz Haber was a brilliant scientist from Germany. Haber was a committed nationalist and a professor at the University of Karlsruhe. After the war broke out Haber started experimenting with tear gas like poisons to help Germany in the war. He developed chlorine gas and phosgene and after the allies developed a way to protect themselves he came up with mustard gas. It was absorbed through the skin and it could take up to 10 hours for the symptoms to appear and up to 6 weeks for death to occur. The main components of the chemical is carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and sulfur and its chemical formula is C4H8Cl2S.
Why Was Mustard Gas Invented
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Trench Warfare
With trench warfare being the style of most fights, soldiers never entered the middle of the battlefield called no mans land. So most battles ended in a stale mate and the use of chemical warfare, especially mustard gas, changed that.
Hague Convention
The Hague connection banned all chemical warfare, but the Germans thought it was there best chance to win. So as soon as they used it in battle the allies started creating their own new chemical inventions.
How Mustard Gas Affected WWI
Mustard gas is the reason why some called the war "the chemists war". By the end of the war mustard gas had injured 1 million people and killed 100,000. Mustard gas made gas masks useless because of its ability to penetrate the skin and even if a soldier was clothed from head to toe he was still not totally safe. Since mustard gas was so versatile it was the most desirable chemical agent for both sides during the war. Mustard gas also made soldiers want to end the war. Nurse Vera Brittain wrote, "I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke." Mustard gas was one of the main weapons used in World War I and there would have been much less death without it.
Mustard Gas's Legacy After WWI
After World War I mustard gas was used again a handful of times after the war in other battles, but a group of experienced soldiers would be able to avoid its effects. Then in 1925 the geneva accords outlawed the use of chemical weapons but not the development. Although even after the geneva accords went into affect Japan used mustard gas a handful of times on China during WWII. Also, over 70 years after it was created, Iraq used it against Iran. Iraq killed over 5,000 people in a village in Iran in 1988 using mustard gas. Than in 1993 the paris convention was signed banning all production of chemical weapons along with the use. Over 100 years after the creation and use of mustard gas chemical weapons remain widely condemned.
Mustard Gas Symptoms
- Symptoms don't occur immediately, usually doesn't start for 10 hours
- Skin may be red and itchy for the first 2- 48 hours than it becomes yellow and blistering
- Eyes: irritation, pain, tearing, light sensitivity or blindness
- Respiratory: runny nose, sneezing, bloody nose, shortness of breath, sinus pain, and cough
- Digestive: abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
Diagram
Diagram of a mustard gas weapon used in world war one. Sometimes soldiers didn't even know they were being gassed at first because of the explosion.