Introduction
Mustard gas, or sulphur mustard is a chemical term for an agent that causes burning of the skin, respiratory tract and eyes. Mustard gas can be captivated into the body via ingestions, inhalation or by getting in touch with the school or students with the eyes or skin. Mustard gas is delivered in a vapour or liquid form, and it burns the skin, windpipe, eyes, and lungs. The physical result depends upon the exposure level and might appear after few hours or in some cases it is sooner. Although mustard gas is lethal in high volume, blister agents are capable of killing. In smaller quantities, mustard gas can also be toxic to the skin. Exposure to the mustard gas may lead to a painful and slow death and moist area present in the body are highly susceptible to the after-effects (Military History Now, 2014). This paper will discuss the history, purpose, symptoms, and prevention of Mustard gas.
Invention and Purpose of Mustard Gas
In 1913, German and British civilian researchers were exposed to sulphur mustard accidentally during lab work. The result was their hospitalization from the aftereffects. The German military received the notes from the incident. They promptly explored the weaponizing sulphur mustard for use against the allied army. Originally, mustard gas was called ‘LOST’ in reference to the Chemists that engineered the weapon. These engineers were Wilhelm Lommel & Wilhelm Steinkopf. They helped in developing the mustard gas weapon for German forces in 1916. Germany ended up developing several delivery systems using mustard gas in the First World War. These delivery systems included free fall bombs, artillery shells, rockets, mortar rounds, and land mines. Due to mustard gas use, the British Army had suffered 20,000 casualties from mustard gas attacks in 1918 alone. The gas was first used deliberately during the First World War and it effectively incapacitated its victims (Military History Now, 2014).
Origination of Mustard Gas
The nasty impact of sulphur mustard was already a known in the 1860s, but its impact was seen during the World War I. Mustard gas is mainly a synthetic substance made by treating sulfur chloride with ethylene, a process followed by Levinstein. Or, it can also be prepared by treating dihydroxyethyl sulfide with the HCl gas, which was the process used by German chemists. The synthesis and creation of mustard gas were first reported in 1886 by Victor Meyer. The gas was first used as a chemical weapon in 1917 by the German Army (Walton, Maynard & Murray, 1991). In 1822, Mustard agent was developed, but the harmful effects of the agent were not found until 1860. The agent was used for the first time during World War I and it caused eye and lung injuries to several soldiers (OPCW, n.d.).
Symptoms of Mustard Gas
The first indication of poisoning by mustard gas is a slight skin irritation, which appears few hours after exposure to the gas. The areas affected turn yellow gradually and agonizing blisters are formed on the skin of the affected. Eyes start turning red, runny and sore — blindness and extreme pain follows soon afterwards. Other symptoms of the mustard gas poisoning include sinus pain, nasal congestion, coughing, hoarseness, and in some extreme cases the victim suffers respiratory failure. Sustained exposure to the mustard gas can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and nausea. Within few days of the attack, fatalities start building up, but in case of recovery, it takes months for the survivors to fully regain their health and fitness. Some victims never recover from the damage such as scars; permanent blindness; respiratory damage; and increased cancer risk are some of the results of poisoning from mustard gas (Militaty History Now, 2014).
Mustard gas is a blister agent or a vesicant, it causes itching or redness of the victim’s skin and results in pus-filled and yellow blisters. Mustard gas eradicates victim’s mucous membranes of the nose, eyes and respiratory tract. Victims might also experience temporary blindness, cough, runny nose, sinus pain, and shortness of breath. Victim’s digestive tract also gets affected, which results in diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. The victims of mustard gas attack typically don’t show the symptoms for 12-24 hours after their exposure. However, exposure to high concentration of gas causes visible symptoms within 1-2 hours. Usually, mustard gas exposure is not lethal and several victims end up recovering from the exposure within few weeks. However, few victims remain disfigured permanently due to chemical burns or end up permanently blind. Several victims also develop chronic respiratory infections or diseases, which may end up being fatal. Mustard gas victims damage the DNA within human cells, keeping the victims at greater risk of developing cancer in later life. Pregnant women that are exposed to mustard gas have greater of delivering an unhealthy baby with cancer or other birth defects (Palermo, 2013).
History of Mustard Gas Use
Chemical weapons such as mustard gas were deployed on a large scale during the period of the World War I and World War II. The impact of mustard gas use left behind a lasting legacy of pain and anguish, and led to the creation of stockpiles of other chemical weapons by several countries. During the period of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States both developed and maintained an enormous collection of chemical weapons. During the height of the Cold War, their stockpiles reached thousands of tonnes. The amount of weapons held by the US and USSR was enough for destroying human and animal life on the planet. In the 1980s, Iraq ended up using chemical weapons such as mustard gas against Iranian Army. In 1988, they also used mustard gas against thin own Kurdish residents in Northern Iraq.
Treatments and Prevention from Mustard Gas
Last Use of Mustard Gas
In 1993, the UN used the Chemical Weapons Convention for placing a ban on the mustard gas use and several other chemical agents (Palermo, 2013). The use of mustard gas has not been active since the 1990s, when the Aum Shinrikyu doomsday cult attacked Tokyo in 1995. The latest mustard gas attack has been made by ISIS on the Kurdish forces and Syrian public. Active use of mustard gas has been found in the ongoing war in Syria. ISIS has been reported to have used mustard gas on Kurdish forces. It is claimed that ISIS penetrated or received mustard gas from the stockpile of Syrian armed forces. The attack has refocused the attention of international powers on chemical warfare as terrorists are not bothered with the dangers posed by using them (Dearden, 2016). Therefore, mustard gas remains a viable threat for bioterrorism attacks, especially by ISIS as their methods are inhumane and nomadic.
Conclusion
Mustard gas was invented in 1916 by German Chemists -- Wilhelm Steinkopf and Wilhelm Lommel. They prepared it for using mustard gas as a weapon against the allied forces in World War I. Scientists were well aware of the mustard substance in 1860s, but a lab accident in 1913 revealed the true extent of the mustard gas on humans. The impact of the mustard gas poisoning is both long term and short term and the victim might take months to recover from the physical damage and even then suffers a risk of cancer in the future. Mustard gas has been used widely in both World War I and II, and later superpowers USSR and USA ended up collecting stockpiles of mustard gas for probable use. To this day there is no antidote for the treatment of a mustard gas victim, as the doctors need to operate and help the individual breathe, remove skin, and apply pain and burn medications. Prevention can only be done through effective gas masks and protective over-garments. In recent memory, ISIS has been reported to have used mustard gas against the Kurdish people and forces in Syria.
References
Dearden., L. (2016, 5 April).Isis chemical weapons: Militants use 'mustard gas' against Syrian forces in battle for Deir ez-Zor airport. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-chemical-weapons-militants-use-mustard-gas-against-syrian-forces-in-battle-for-deir-ez-zor-a6969186.html
EMedicineHealth. (2016). Chemical Warfare (cont.). page 5 of 6. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, http://www.emedicinehealth.com/chemical_warfare/page5_em.htm#mustards_treatment_and_prognosis
Military History Now. (2014, 11 February). Slow Burn — 11 Terrifying Facts About Mustard Gas. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, http://militaryhistorynow.com/2014/02/11/slow-burn-11-terrifying-facts-about-mustard-gas/
OPCW. (n.d.). Mustard agents. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, https://www.opcw.org/about-chemical-weapons/types-of-chemical-agent/mustard-agents/
Palermo., E. (2013, 28 August). What Is Mustard Gas?. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, http://www.livescience.com/39248-what-is-mustard-gas.html
Walton., L.P., Maynard., R.L. & Murray., V.S.G. (1991, May). Mustard Gas. Retrieved 6 August 2016 from, http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/chemical/mustardg.htm
