Chemical warfare
Castulo
Olivas
Alex
Avila
Outline
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What is a chemical weapon?
The first chemical weapons
Modern chemical weapons
Effects of chemical weapons on humans
Effects of chemical weapons on the environment
Modern methods of chemical weapon destruction
Should we continue to use chemical weapons?
Summary
The solution
What is a chemical weapon?
• chemical substances that can be delivered using
munitions and dispersal devices to cause death
or severe harm to people and animals and
plants
• Chemical weapons are classified as weapons of
mass destruction
First chemical weapons
• The first chemical weapons were poison tipped arrows used in
southern Africa during the stone ages.
• In the 17th century during sieges, armies attempted to start fires by
launching incendiary shells filled with sulphur, tallow, rosin,
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turpentine, saltpeter, and/or antimony
On April 22, 1915, Germans used chlorine gas to kill French troops
Germany also used mustard gas in WWI
During the Rif War combined Spanish and French forces dropped
mustard gas bombs in an attempt to put down the Berber rebellion.
During the Ethiopian invasion, Italy dropped mustard gas from bombs,
sprayed it from airplanes, and spread it in powdered form on the
ground.
Mustard Gas Bomb
Modern Chemical Weapons
Mustard gas
An oily, volatile liquid that is corrosive to the skin and mucous membranes and
causes severe, sometimes fatal respiratory damage. It was introduced in World
War I as a chemical warfare agent.
Yellow Rain
A powdery, poisonous, yellow substance reported as dropping from the air in southeast
Asia and found to be the excrement of wild honeybees contaminated by a fungal toxin.
Anthrax
Bacillus anthracis is the scientific name for anthrax. Anthrax powder was used in
bioterrorism attacks when it was put into letters and caused the death of several postage
workers.
Effects of Chemical Weapons on
humans
• Chemicals that Blister:
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Sulphur mustard
Lewisite
Nitrogen mustard
Mustard-lewisite
Phosgene-oxime
• Chemicals that affect the nerves:
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VX
Sarin
Soman
Tabun
Novichole agents
• Chemicals that cause choking:
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Effects of lewisite
chlorine
Phosgene
Agent: VX
Type: Nerve agent
Symptoms: Breathing
problems, muscle spasm,
unconsciousness.
Outcome: Possibly death.
Status: May have been used
against Iran in 1988. Iraq
claims it produced 3.9 tons.
Source: International Institute
for Strategic Studies
Effects of chemical weapons on the
environment
• persistent agents tend to remain in the
environment for as long as a week,
complicating decontamination
• Non-volatile liquid agents, such as blister
agents and the oily VX nerve agent, do not
easily evaporate into a gas, and therefore
present primarily a contact hazard
• Buried munitions pose problems
environmentally. Once the munitions begin to
corrode and leak, the agents can contaminate
the surrounding soil and even get into water
sources.
• Sea dumping of chemical munitions is
another method of disposal that has caused a
number of problems. Some of these dumping
operations have occurred in shallow water in
the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Japan. In
both of these places, dumped chemical
weapons caused serious problems for the
fishing industry.
Modern methods of chemical
weapon destruction
• There are two common methods for destroying chemical weapons,
incineration and chemical degradation. However, there are dozens of
alternative technologies, and the number is growing.
• Under the Baseline incineration process, chemical weapons are first
taken to the demilitarization facility, where the chemical agent is
removed from the munitions or containers by automated equipment.
• Chemical degradation (or chemical neutralization) technologies take
many different forms. There are a number of chemicals, like alkalis
and oxidants, which reduce and often negate the toxicity of chemical
agents.
Should we continue to use
chemical weapons?
NO
We should not continue to use some chemical
weapons. Chemicals are too cruel because they
usually cause extreme pain or irritation , along
with other side effects. Blister agents should not
be used because they cause extreme suffering in
victims also. Some chemicals cause you to die of
asphyxiation. These chemicals should also not be
used. All chemical weapons are very dangerous
and can affect the environment and even kill
animals that get in the crossfire in a war.
Summary
Chemical weapons have been used ever
since spears and arrows were invented.
Now, the weapons are much more
advanced and deadly.
There are many different types of chemical
weapons and they all have their own
unique way of making a victim suffer.
We should no longer use chemical weapons
because they are harsh and persistent
chemicals can effect the environment and
animals.
The solution
The only solution is to not have war.
The main reason we have chemical
weapons is because we need them for
war. If we didn’t have war we would
have no need for chemical weapon
development.