Poison Gases and Their Effects
Written by: Aaron Sartain
The first world war was a terrible one. One of the many reasons WW1 was so terrible is because of the methods of killing. Among these includes the method of “Poison Gas”. Poison gas wasn't so bad at first because it wasn't really poison just yet. It was just something that made your eyes water… really bad, but zero casualties. The first poison gas introduced was Chlorine Gas, then Phosgene Gas, and following that, Mustard Gas. As we explore these gases you'll start to see a progression of terror, and why this weapon was one of the most effective of all the others.
Impact and Consequence of War Gases
The first gas that was used is called “Tear Gas” or (xylyl bromide). It was first utilized by the French but then was later poorly constructed by Germans (They failed to take air temperature into account). But to the Germans credit, the Germans fixed their mistake in the battle of Nieuport. So what did Tear Gas do? Tear Gas belongs to a class of gases called “lachrymatory agents” - these gases are irritants to membranes in your body. They cause coughing, crying and temporary blindness. In short, they incapacitate the victim; and that was the intention of “Tear Gas”.
Chlorine Gas was effective as it was deadly. Within seconds of intake, the victim's respiratory organs were compromised. This brought on violent choking attacks. This was first used by the germans in the battle of Ypres. The british were the first to retaliate. They released a mixture of smoke combined with Chlorine Gas through canisters. The method of release was uncanny in a way. It would blow back on it’s releasers, but other then that, it was a great gas. It is used later in the war because of this.
The third gas to be used was called Phosgene, it came out on the heels of chlorine gas. This gas is more deadly in my opinion. It reacts to protein in the lungs causing more often than not, suffocation. The people of that time thought: "Hey! let’s take a gas thats deadly (Chlorine Gas) And mix it with another (Phosgene Gas)!" The mix was called “White Star”. The Chlorine gas served as a delivery method for Phosgene Gas as well as an irritant to cause for inhalation (by coughing). The two were a deadly pair, they were responsible for 85% of all gas related deaths. Whereas Chlorine Gas by itself only caused about 5-6 percent of gas deaths.
The final gas made it’s appearance in the last year of the war. Mustard Gas was not as deadly but it was effective. One of the features of this gas is it’s ability to stay in the soil a while - causing feet blisters. Instead of causing lots of death like the two gases before it, it incapacitates the enemy for a long period of time, it was only responsible for 2-3 percent of gas deaths. The effects it had were about the same as others except it caused blisters in lungs and skin upon contact. This is why this weapon is the most effective, it affected many people at a time.
In conclusion, gases are terrible, but effective, their long lasting effects like death and forever not being able to breath as well make this so. It was a good war effort though… at first. Over time it lost it’s element of surprise and everyone became more prepared. But again, very destructive and effective.
In conclusion, gases are terrible, but effective, their long lasting effects like death and forever not being able to breath as well make this so. It was a good war effort though… at first. Over time it lost it’s element of surprise and everyone became more prepared. But again, very destructive and effective.
Connections to Today
Today all of these gases are outlawed to use in war or anywhere else so they aren't used today (besides Tear Gas). Tear gas is the one exception, it is now used in police control situations around the world; just or unjust.
Chemically speaking, tear gas is exactly the same. But the release method is different. It is put into pressurized cans and forced out onto it's victim(s). The other chemicals are the same (hopefully) because they were outlawed then and there.
Chemically speaking, tear gas is exactly the same. But the release method is different. It is put into pressurized cans and forced out onto it's victim(s). The other chemicals are the same (hopefully) because they were outlawed then and there.