The Threat Of Chlorine As A Weapon Essay

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

terrorism presents a unique threat to the Homeland and response agencies due to the vast array of various chemical effects and availability. To illustrate this threat, an examination will be conducted into the historical development and a recent use of chlorine gas agent. Then, an investigation into chlorine’s chemical properties, its harmful effects, and required response protective/detection equipment will be conducted. Lastly, an analysis into the regulatory policy of chlorine and a current news article

• Chlorine is widely used industrial chemical agent with corrosive properties and a potential weapon of mass destruction. • At standard temperature and pressure exists as Greenish-yellow color irritant gas. Under high pressure or low temperature, it turns to clear, amber-colored liquid. • Chlorine has a suffocating pungent odor.2 • Chlorine is heavier than air, and therefore it will remain near the ground in areas with little air movement. 2 • It is used in water treatment, household cleaning

Introduction • Chlorine is widely used industrial chemical agent with corrosive properties and a potential weapon of mass destruction. • At standard temperature and pressure exists as Greenish-yellow color gas with suffocating pungent odor. Under high pressure or low temperature, it turns to clear, amber-colored liquid.1 • Chlorine is heavier than air, and therefore it will remain near the ground in areas with little air movement.1 • It is used in water treatment, household cleaning products

keep secret weapons, secret experiments, and the everlasting conspiracies about them. But how many stories have people heard about chemical weapons til a few weeks ago. Chemical weapons are one of the most dangerous threats that not just soldiers but everyone face today, But the publicity they get is so minimal it's scary. But just how much people know about them? Chemical weapons are an issue because chemical weapons can cause so much harm that they should be banned. They are weapons of mass destruction

gassed with chlorine, as evidenced in the line, "Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!". Chlorine gas was one of the fatal chemical weapons used during World War I. First used by the Germans in 1915, it was a strong irritant that caused damage to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs of the soldiers. At high concentrations and long exposure, it could cause death by asphyxiation. Chlorine gas was not the only deadly weapon invented during the war. There are other weapons that are deadlier than chlorine gas. Mustard

gases are made to be lethal, some gases just inhabilitate soldiers for a period of time, rather than killing them (“Chemical Warfare Weapons Fact Sheets - Tabun - GA Nerve Agent”). There are many different types of gas, each is unique to producing its own symptoms and effects. “The primary gases of World War I were Mustard, Phosgene, Chlorine, and a mix of Chlorine and Phosgene gases” (“Research”). Mustard gas is probably the most commonly known. Mustard gas was really painful because it caused

incompetent mechanic weapons. The improvement of these war technologies was so huge and their powers were overlooked. These new inventions had also brought unexpected horror to the soldiers serving in the war. The estimated deaths in both military and citizens were 16.5 million ("Casualties | WW1 Facts", 2016). Therefore, the First World War is a war, much more horrific compared to previous wars, because a mass number of people were killed due to inventions of modern weapons like machine guns and

The main concern in Europe (and indeed the USA) would be ISIS’ ability to mount a chemical weapon attack on their soils. Such an attack, whilst perhaps not a mass-casualty scenario, would rock the receiving country to its very core and promote ISIS to the forefront of CBRN terrorism. The ensuing panic would have a destabilising effect on the target population, and would cause economic turmoil if it targeted a central business district. Whilst this would certainly not be easy, with such a wealth of

that the use of Chemical weapons by groups such as Aum Shinrikyo and the Iraqi government in the late 1980's has had a huge impact on the United States' counter terrorism preparedness. The United States has continued to make improvements to our WMD defense programs ever since the first use of chemical weapons, specifically Chlorine and Phosgene gasses, during WWI. The U.S. continued to improve its defense at that point by designing masks that were able to counter such weapons. As times have changed