Phosgene During World War One

I just came back from a battle near the city of Ypres. The German forces launched 5700 canisters of chlorine gas at the Allied forces. You could see the yellow-green clouds of gas rolling towords our lines. It was devastating. The gas affected over 10,000 people, killing half of them. The cause of death was asphyxiation. The Algerian forces retreated, and the Germans moved forward to fill the gaps, albeit cautiously. They stopped after only 3.25 kilometres and dug in. That allowed us soldiers to recover. We fought all night to try and close the gap. Then came another gas attack. Their target was us, the Canadian line. We were suffocating, so we covered our faces with urine-covered handkerchiefs.

World War 1 was a very different war as “old fashioned” ways of fighting war were not working anymore so they had to invent many new technologies such as the machine gun, and the poison gasses. According to source 6 “the machine gun was devastatingly effective against the enemy charging towards them” they could shoot 8 or more bullets per second and thwart any attempt of “going over the top”. It is considered to be the deadliest gun weapon used in World War 1 so much that it is believed to have caused 40% of deaths in trench warfare. Another new invention was the poison gasses, and with them came gas masks so the people releasing the gas wouldn't be affected. Source 6 shows the poison gas was mainly used to kill people in a certain area of the enemy trenches as it was like a grenade, but

The poisonous gas used in the 1916 Battle of the Somme was the most inhuman weapon of World War One. Mustard gas was the most unsettling and weapon used in World War One. It is extremely disturbing than any cultured nation would use such a weapon. The use of poisonous gas in World War One was a weapon like no other. The Germans who used the poisonous gas were even surprised at the devastating effects it had on the ally troops. An attack could leave victims in agony for days to weeks before they recovered or if they did not die first. As a result, poisonous gas was one of the most dreaded weapons of World War One. One benefit with using poisonous gas was that the country using it had the element of surprise on their side. The gas was very effective

During any war, medical advancements are commonly made in response to the atrocities that take place during these bloody and gruesome times. World War II is no exception. During World War II, medical advances simply had to be made to keep soldiers alive. With all the victims of bullet wounds and diseases spreading around, treatments had to be invented or advanced. I chose this topic because science and medicine is very fascinating to me and I want to become a doctor when I grow up. During the war, penicillin, sulfanilamide, atabrine, plasma, and morphine were used in abundance and saved a countless number of lives.

There are many examples why gas was a necessary weapon in World War I. One example is using clouds of toxic gas on the enemy. Since this gas is so dangerous and unstoppable they would release the clouds of gas on the enemy to scare them away from their area or to kill off the remaining enemies. This toxic gas was also refereed to as Tear Gas. Because Tear Gas was so affective, eventually both sides would use it on the enemy in wars because there was no way of avoiding it unless you leave the area. Another example is the incurable things the gas does. Tear Gas could give you first-degree burns to having your eyes and face being rotted away. The things the gas could do to you was endless. It could burn out your lungs to the point not even the

According to the CDC emergency response safety and health database, First aid and treatment for phosgene exposure is primarily supportive. Victims should be immediately removed from the exposure, kept warm, quiet, and should avoid physical exertion during treatment and recovery. CDC also states there is no antidote for phosgene toxicity. Victims with phosgene exposure to the eye should wash out eyes with large amounts of water for 15 minutes. For inhalation treatment, victims airways should be checked for no obstructions, given oxygen if short of breath, monitored for pulmonary edema, dyspnea, and narrowing of airways. For victims with skin exposure to phosgene, decontaminate as soon as possible. If the victim has been exposed to liquid phosgene

In means of protecting the Germans against phosgene poisoning, some scientists examined the effect it had on subjects’ lungs. Prisoners were also subjected to mustard gas to test possible antidotes for the poisoning. They found that besides local irritation to the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, the lungs were the target organ of the phosgene gas. Even at low concentrations phosgene would destroy the enzymes in the lungs, causing fluid to build up and lead to death by drowning. The knowledge of this dangerous gas has led to the saving of lives of those who lived near the manufacturing plant.

The Germans used chemical warfare, namely chlorine gas, against the Canadian soldiers. Chemical weapons were prohibited by international treaties before World War I. On April 22, the Germans released more than 160 tons of the gas from thousands of canisters arranged along German lines. The soldiers said it looked like a green-yellow cloud, and its smell was like a mixture of pineapple and pepper. The Canadians, and the French troops were in the trenches to their left, as they watched the mysterious cloud appeared over no man 's land, and then blow with the wind over their own army’s lines. While German forces moved behind the drifting gas toward the French trenches, Canadian and British soldiers saw the German soldiers and went after them. After hours of terribly gruesome fighting, they were able to stop the Germans from taking advantage of this gas. Each cylinder of chlorine gas weighed about 90 pounds. Lester Stevens, a member of the Eighth Battalion from Winnipeg who witnessed the second gas attack stated that, “Two fellows, one on my right and one

Q8. During World War I, scientists were beginning to develop new drugs and medical treatments in order to help people during and after the war. Scientists began making these new medical drugs in order to help those physically and mentally cope with pain and or stress brought on because of what the war had caused. Some people had been changed, harmed, or were badly hurt physically in the war, the new medical drugs would be able to help with that. However, many other people were affected psychologically. Henceforth, scientists began developing all sorts of medical drugs in order to help those who had been badly affected in any way, shape, or form because due to the fallout World War I had brought upon the world. In other words new medical treatments and inventions had been developed during and after World War I to improve the health and overall well being of the people around the world.

This gas may cause temporary blindness and inflammation of the nose and throat of the victim. A gas mask would easily offer good protection against this gas. This chemical and any chemical with bromide were quite popular during World War I since it was easily brewed.

Through industrialization, Germany had many advantages over France when it came to the production of mechanized weaponry. The soldier’s strategies now revolved around the improvement of technology as well as their ease of access to supplies. The need for technology throughout the war allowed for the manufacturing of lethal chemicals such as chlorine and mustard gas. France was the first to use this modern style of warfare, however, German scientists would soon give rise to new and improved chemical concoctions, which would lead to mass destruction of the allies. Through trial and error, the creation of these chemicals by the German forces leads to the manifestation of many defense mechanisms for the allies; one of which were gas masks. These masks were to be worn over the mouth and nose and contained charcoal filters, which neutralized the acids in the chemicals. Midway through chapter 2 Baumer recounts his visit to a nearby hospital, in which “the gas patients…cough up their burnt lungs in clots”(Pg.68). As the amount of soldiers injured by chemical burns increased on both sides of enemy lines, the need for hospitals and staff also increased

The gases used in World War I included mustard gas and chlorine gas. Chlorine showed its effects on the soldiers much quicker than mustard gas did. With mustard gas, after a while, one could see blisters forming on their body, and not soon after in their throat making it difficult to breathe (Briggs). Suffocation is one of the worse ways to die because one would suffer for longer. Poison gases’ inhumanity caused an antagonistic effect on the war because the only thing lethal gas has proven is that the only thing important in war is murder and not resolving issues.

This war reflected a lot of other wars because they used all dissimilar weapons, these weapons where a lot more powerful than any other used in wars before, and could do a lot more destruction. During World War I there was a diversity of different weapons used, such as a rifle. The bold-action rifle was the main weapon used among British soldiers. 15 rounds could be fired from it every minute, and a person as far as 1,400 meters could be killed. These are some more of the different weapons used by the army: machine guns were guns that needed to be controlled by 4-6 men, and needed to be on a flat surface. They ensured the fire-power of 100 guns. Hefty field guns had an extended range, and could deliver distressing blows to the enemy, but they required at least 12 men to work them. A German army was the original one to use chlorine gas in the battle Ypres in 1915. Chlorine gas initiated a fiery sense in the throat and chest pain. This death was very aching – you suffocate. The problem with chlorine gas was that the weather had to be accurate. If the wind was carrying in the reverse direction it could have ended up killing your own troop. Another gas used is known as mustard gas it was

The production of the gas mask happened very quickly., Germans introduced chemical warfare to the war and we were highly unprepared. The soldiers had a total of four breaths to figure out how they were going to escape the toxic gases, At first nNobody knew what was going on, which, in return, made the soldiers react fast to save their lives.

On April 1915, The first poison gas attack began when the German forces shocked the Allied forces along the Western Front by firing more than 150 tonnes of lethal chlorine gas against two French colonial divisions at Ypres, Belgium (History.com Staff, 2010). Poison gas was the most feared of all weapons in World War One. Poison gas was used in the trenches even when there was no attack going on. If a Soldiers got trapped with poison gas, it would mean that soldiers have to put a crude gas mask (Figure 1) on because it helped protect the soldiers from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. Poison gas can leave the victim in agony for days and weeks before they succumbed to their injuries.