Chemical Warfare Research Paper

Chemical warfare, while horrible, proved to be unwieldy and unpredictable, and relatively easy to counter. After some limited successes against unprepared opponents, the use of chemical gas had very little tactical benefit; the recognition of this limited utility is that after widespread use in 1915 - except for the short-lived effects of the introduction of mustard gas in 1917 - gas was abandoned by both sides as an effective tactic.

Frist of all, in the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans introduced the first use of poisonous gas. When poison gas first introduced it was a popular weapon choice and would be the weapon to change the outcome of the war. The Germans surprisingly attack the Allies, where the used lethal chloride gas against them. The gas was deadly and killed over one thousand soldiers. (1) It also allowed a significant advanced for the Germans in the war. The gas usage continued to grow throughout the war. In the end, many Allied countries started chemical weapons research. Gas warfare became common but effective actions were used to protect the troops. After World War 1, poison was use for a while but in today’s war it is no longer allowed. Instead of poisonous gas, chemical warfare is used. Chemical weapons come in a variety of forms and are used for several different techniques.

The chemical was meant to be used for disinfection and to kill pests, not people. The Zyklon B had a smell to it like bitter almonds. This smell only came when the gas was released into the air. It kills them by having the chemical stop them from being able to breathe as it travels through their body. To make sure all of the Nazi's recognized that it was poisonous they would have all of it put into small metal containers. If a soldier saw one of these they knew it was Zyklon B (The Auschwitz Declaration).

Chemical usage and experimentation has always been an extremely vague subject back during Word War !!. However, I.G. Farben's gas chamber was able to produce deadly Zyklon B Gas that was used in the gasing of Jews in concentration camp of Auschwitz. This brand new technology at the time provided the Nazis with a quick and efficient way to kill off Jews fast, as there

At the Battle of Ypres, the Germans released a cloud of chlorine gas that moved slowly toward the Allies trench (Simkin). The French were completely unprepared so many climbed out of the trench and ran away. German chemist Fritz Haber developed the gas for use in war. The Chlorine gas causes wheezing, coughing, and fluid build up in the lungs leading to a painful death of asphyxiation (White). Arthur Guy Empey said, “There's a sort of greenish, yellow cloud rolling along the ground out in front, it's coming ---” “German gas is heavier than air and soon fills the trenches and dugouts.” “Out of our crew of six, we lost two killed and two wounded.” (Empey) Other gasses like mustard gas and phosgene were used. Mustard gas was not used to kill people however it severely maimed them. Mustard gas caused large blisters on contact and blindness. Phosgene worked very similarly to chlorine gas, however, it was invisible allowing it to remain undetected (CDC). Chemical warfare has since been banned around the world. Barbed wire also changed the course of

The Nazis were always looking for ways to become more efficient, including finding ways to kill greater amounts of people at once in the gas chambers. As part of Germany’s “Euthanasia Program,” six gassing camps were built to dispense carbon monoxide gas. One of these camps, Auschwitz, conducted trials with the pesticide Zyklon B, which proved to be

The fact that we cannot use chemical weapons is a very bad thing. We could have used these weapons in the Vietnam War. With all the tall grass and dense forests, our soldiers were not prepared for the close up combat. If we had used the chemical agents in that forest, we could have eliminated hidden enemy forces and we would have saved many American soldiers’ lives.

War, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state” (citation). War truly does bring out the worst of in the people involved, because in war the objective is to kill or capture enough of the opposing sides’ soldiers to show that your side is superior. Both sides will take any measures necessary to win, a few examples of this being Mustard gas, Ricin, Agent Orange, and Sarin . When guns and other weapons will not cut it, that’s when in the mind of the governments that chemical warfare became necessary . Since these four chemicals and many more have been used throughout history, the Chemical Warfare Convention banned all forms of chemical weapons, due to the lasting effects of the chemicals on both nations and individuals of those nations. The way the CWC defines a chemical weapon is a toxic chemical or its precursor that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action.

Chemical warfare, first appearing long ago in the form of poison arrows and disease, is a form of warfare that involves the use of noxious chemicals with the intent to kill or maim large groups or areas. Whereas in ancient times poison came in the forms of herbs and elements, science today creates gases that stop the heart or cause immense pain. Chemical warfare is different from nuclear or physical warfare in that, instead of explosions, it’s intended effects are cardiac arrest or suffocation. There are many different types of toxins used in chemical warfare and they all do very different things.

The chemical weapons non-proliferation regime boasts a strong treaty in the form of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), but as Libya is not a party to this treaty, its restrictions have no bearing on Libyan chemical weapons production. Libya, therefore, presents a problem in that its chemical weapons production constitutes a world threat, but its actions are fully legal. The Geneva Protocol of 1925 merely prohibits the use of chemical weapons, not their production, stockpiling, or possession. Thus, though U.S. policy options are constrained by its agreements and security assurances, the United States must seek out legal and effective means of ending Libyan production of chemical weapons.

“Decades later the chemical it was brought to the US and was perfected and “synthesized by American chemists Ben Corson and Roger Stoughton in 1928 and tear gas using it (CS = Corson + Stoughton) was developed and tested during the 1950s and '60s.” (Soniak) Tear gas is just one chemical along, in fact it’s not even a gas but many chemicals that are solids at room temperature mixed together. The main ingredient is OC short for oleum capsicum (chili pepper oil). Capsicum is a highly pungent natural substance that can have serious side effects when in inhaled in the lungs. The Chemical Weapons Convention banned the production of chemical

The images are haunting: soldiers in gas masks rapid firing through dusky vapours, people contorted with a pain that comes from within. Chemical warfare has long been acknowledged as a devastating tactical weapon, but the origin of this impression is now being debated. While it is a common held belief that chemical warfare is a form of modern warfare and that the First World War is recognised for introducing this type of combat, recent archaeological finds show this may prove otherwise. According to accepted definitions of chemical warfare, newly discovered battle tactics used by humanity’s ancestors may not be so different from those of modern warfare. In the opposite way, while advancements in science have aided in making chemical

The next question that will be discussed and answered is how chemical weapons affect society today? Society has played an important role in the farming of the regimen against chemical weapons. The recent developments in Syria once again brought to attention the grave danger associated with the very existence of chemical weapons. Following the adoption of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, work towards the BWC began what is today known as the Conference on Disarmament. Since 1974, the International Pugwash Movement has been organizing workshops to discuss policy, legal and technical issues of the disarmament of chemical weapons. In 1989, the National Government Industry Conference against chemical weapons in Canberra which underlined the full support that the worlds chemical industry for a global ban on chemical weapons. A productive relationship has evolved between the OPCW, Scientific Advisory Board and the International Union for the applied chemistry IUPAC bringing valuable scientific input to the OPCW.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) defines chemical weapons as “Any toxic chemical or its precursor that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action” (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, n.d.). Chemical weapons have been around for a long time since ancient times, in fact some chemical weapons such as chlorine were frequently used during World War I (War of nerves, 2006) (Pitschmann, 2014). Over the years with the increase of industrialization and the advancements in technology chemical weapons have become easier to make, since the materials needed to make chemical weapons are now more accessible to the public and industries (War of nerves, 2006). This not only has allowed some states to improve their chemical warfare programs, but it has also increased the proliferation and it has allowed terrorists to be able to developed chemical weapons and conduct successful chemical terrorists attacks (War of nerves, 2006). Chlorine can be obtained easily and a chemical attack using chlorine can have serious consequences because it could affect many people (Pitschmann, 2014).

Chemical attacks involve the use of chemical agents that are man-made gases, liquids, or powders that can have incapacitating or lethal effects on humans. Most chemical weapons fall into five broad categories: blister, nerve, choking, blood, and incapacitating (Forest & Howard, 2013). Chemical agents will vary in their degree of potency and volatility. Depending on how volatile or potent the agent is, the stronger the effects of agent will be on humans.