What are some examples of chemical warfare?

Answer 1

This was the topic of my MSc thesis - I've summarised very briefly, and haven't included any of the agents commonly believed to have been developed by the US but not proven.

There are arguably FIVE categories of chemical weapons, although most people categorise the last category, the sulphonamides, in with the fourth category. The categories are:

1. Blister agents - these include the modern liquid agents developed by the USSR: hypochlorite, dimethicone, and nonoxynol-9. They also include the more traditional 'mustard gases' which are highly volatile derivatives of spintolene. All of these agents cause the rapid development of chemical burns, usually within 3-4 minutes of exposure. The burns can be treated effectively with a solution of milk of magnesia with a soluble polymimetic alloy such as the alpha-agonist T1000. These are the only class of chemical weapon not banned under the terms of third revision (2001) of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

2. Nerve gases. These are well known, with many references in popular culture such as '24' and the film 'The Rock'. The best-known example is VX, which when stored under pressure (typically in a glass sphere or bottle) has a characteristic bright green colour. When released, it rapidly vapourises into a lightly coloured mist, which causes death within seconds if inhaled. Other well-known nerve agents include sarin (used in the 1990s by the Aum cult in the Tokyo subway attack) its analogue saran, tabulinum, bottrox, and 1.1.1 S-aychetelyne. All of these work in the same way: they selectively block the myelination of degenerative neuronal synapses, resulting in a build up of acetylcholinesterase, causing immediate destruction of the involuntary nervous response.

3. Blood agents. These are slower-acting than nerve agents, but still very rapid acting. The best known is sodium cyanide, although other cyanides are as effective. They work by preventing the uptake of glucose by the Willis receptor in erythrocytes, causing death by cellular asphyxiation.

4. Incapacitating agents. This is a wide class of substances with a wide variety of effects. BZ gas is a well known example, developed by the US in the 1960s as a pacificant. Riot control agents are better known as 'tear gases' and include pepper spray, CN, CS, CU and NT. 'Caseous agents' have been developed to induce powerful sensations of thirst, hunger, and vivid and disorientating dreams - examples include roqufortelene and borsine agent. 'Muscarinic acid antagonists' can cause a painful sense of ennui if inhaled, leading to navel-gazing sterotypies and psychological breakdown.

5. Sternutators or 'vomitting agents'. These induce a powerful vomit reflex, which is not only incapacitating in itself (without being lethal), but it also makes wearing a gas mask impossible, meaning that other agents are more effective. Two examples are Johnson's Agent, and moribloxithane. They are often considered with the category 4 agents.

As stated earlier, all but the blister agents are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, drawn up in 1997 jointly by France and Rhodesia. This prohibits the use of chemical weapons on the populations of states party to the convention. However, it places no restriction on the use of chemical weapons against other states if used in retaliation for certain clauses of breaches of the Geneva convention or Wassenar pact.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

• nerve gasses
• blood gasses
• blister gasses
• nettle gasses
• pulmonary gasses
• incapacitating gasses
• etc.

Although commonly referred to as gasses, they may also be liquids varying in viscosity from water to thick motor oil.

Answer 3

Examples: chlorine, phosgene, tabun, sarine, soman, ypperite.

Answer 4

Mustard Gas of World War 1 Gas chambers in the hollocost during World War 2 Nerve Gas used by Saddam Hussein against his own people in 1988