WWI. The Chemists War

World War I was the origin for many of the world’s “firsts,” including the first use of chemical warfare. Though chemical warfare any type of poisonous weaponry was supposedly banned in the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions (an international peace conference), it was the poisonous gases during World War I that caused over 1,230,000 injuries, and approximately 91,000 fatalities worldwide, giving it an appropriate reputation of perhaps one of the most feared weapons of the time. 

Chlorine Gas Distribution

Particularly prevalent during this time was sulfur mustard, otherwise known as mustard gas. This poison gas worked so well in war times due to the fact that it took very little to cause mass casualties and injuries, and it was able to achieve multiple avenues of damage to opposing troops. Not only was the gas capable of causing bodily harm, but it also contaminated food and water sources, permeated surrounding land masses, and even infiltrated the very trenches that soldiers inhabited day and night. Mustard gas also can be carried by the wind, allowing it to move wherever it likes, unlike a simple bullet that has but one instantaneous destination (although, it can be carried via artillery shell, as the Germans first utilized in 1917). While most weaponry provides immediate and short-lived effects, mustard gas can potentially continue to haunt an area, whether that be a human body as it slowly takes its toll or a land mass as it essentially invades its soil, for weeks at a time.

British Tommies Blinded By Gas

While the effects of sulfur mustard gas can vary, there are 5 primary symptoms of mustard gas poisoning:

1.     Skin blistering: if exposed, particularly in hot or tropical climates, mustard gas’ exposure to the skin can cause up to second and third degree burns and painful blistering, as well as severe scarring. These signs usually appear within 24-48 hours after exposure and being with the skin turning red to yellow in color.

2.     Blinding: If exposure to mustard gas is severe enough, it can cause temporary blinding and severe irritation within 3-12 hours after contact.

3.     Aplastic or Pancytopenia anemia: a decrease in the number the number of blood cells and platelets being created as the gas infects the bone marrow.

4.     Digestive Tract irritation: As the gas makes its way through the body, it may cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and general abdominal pain.

5.     Respiratory tract irritation: A runny/bloody nose, coughing, and shortness of breath, severe irritation (blistering of the lungs and windpipe) are also symptoms of exposure to mustard gas without proper protection.

Russian Casualties Of Poison Gas

More long term effects include permanent blindness, lung cancer, and/other death.

While this form of chemical warfare was quite popular, it was not nearly the sole weapon of mass destruction used during the Great War. Others included chlorine gas - which was actually used as the very first mass attack by the Germans and the very first use of chemical weapons in World War I at the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 - phosgene and diphosgene, which work to destroy the respiratory organs, like chlorine gas, as well as hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride which essentially cause the body to become unable to receive oxygen. 

It can be said that World War I is the chemists’ war due to the new level of mass destruction the use of scientific weapons as opposed to previous forms of defense. However, the use of chemical weapons was still very much alive and well, and not just a threat to the front lines, but also for those at home fearing attacks (as seen in the featured informative video advising citizens how to treat poisonous gas exposure).

Post by : Raven Joyner, Livingbattlefield Researcher and Intern.

Bibliography

"Facts About Sulfur Mustard." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/sulfurmustard/basics/facts.asp>.

"Fast Facts: Mustard Gas." Fox News. FOX News Network, 17 May 2004. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/05/17/fast-facts-mustard-gas/>.

"Firstworldwar.com." First World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm>.

Fitzgerald, Gerard J. "Chemical Warfare and Medical Response During World War I." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 27 Sept. 2005. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376985/>.

"Gas Warfare : United States. Surgeon-General's Office : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <https://archive.org/details/101560809.nlm.nih.gov>.

"Photos of The Great War." - Error. The Great War Primary Document Archive, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.gwpda.org/photos/coppermine/thumbnails.php>.

Schneider, Barry R. "Chemical Weapon." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/108951/chemical-weapon>.

"The Use of Gas Warfare in World War One." The Use of Gas Warfare in World War One. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.wwvets.com/GasWarfare.html>.

"What to Do in a Gas Attack : Filmedia Corp. : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <https://archive.org/details/WhattoDo1943>.