Sulfur Mustard
(Mustard Gas)
Kara McNerney & Kirstinia Jurovich
What is it?
 Sulfur mustard is a powerful irritant and blistering
agent that damages the skin, eyes and respiratory
tract. It also damages DNA, a vital component of
cells in the body.
 Adverse health effects caused by sulfur mustard
depend upon the amount people are exposed to,
the route of
 exposure, and the length of time that people are
exposed.
 Because sulfur mustard vapor is heavier than air, it
will settle in low-lying areas. Depending upon the
severity of the exposure,
 symptoms may not occur for two to 24 hours.
Detection
 Skin: redness, itching, and eventually change to yellow
and begin to blister
 Eyes: irritation, pain, swelling, tearing, blindness
 Respiratory tract: runny/bloody nose, sneezing,
shortness of breath and coughing.
Cure
 5% of people die from mustard gas
after seeking medical help
 The most important factor is removing
sulfur mustard from the body.
Exposure to sulfur mustard is treated
by giving the victim supportive medical
care to minimize the effects of the
exposure. Though no antidote exists
for sulfur mustard, exposure is usually
not fatal.
Lasting Effects
 Exposure to sulfur mustard liquid is more likely to
produce second- and third-degree burns and later
 scarring than is exposure to sulfur mustard vapor.
Extensive skin burning can be fatal.
 • Extensive breathing in of the vapors can cause
chronic respiratory disease, repeated respiratory
 infections or death.
 • Extensive eye exposure can cause permanent
blindness.
 • Exposure to sulfur mustard may increase a
person’s risk for lung and respiratory cancer.
History
 Sulfur mustard was used as a chemical weapon in World
War I. Until recently, it was available for use in the
treatment of a skin condition called psoriasis. Currently,
it has no medical use.
Examples
 Mustard Gas was first used by the German Army in
September 1917. It was one of the most lethal of all the
poisonous chemicals used during the war. It was almost
odourless and took twelve hours to take effect. It was so
powerful that only small amounts had to be added to
high explosive shells to be effective. Once in the soil,
mustard gas remained active for several weeks.
Case #1 Holocaust
 For the frail, women, children there the destiny of death
awaits them in the so call "shower". They were ordered
to strip and hand all worthy possessions to the robust
and bold men, the soldiers. With in the next few
monuments, their life would be non-existent; they would
die of a formidable death by enhailing mustard gas by
the makers Bayer Aspirin. One may think this wasn't
painful, but indeed it was very. After death other
concentration camps citizens carry the deceased to the
crematorium
Case #2
 It is generally assumed that gas was first used by the
Germans in World War One. This is not accurate. The
first recorded gas attack was by the French.
 In August 1914, the French used tear gas grenades on
the Germans. This was more an irritant rather than a
gas that would kill.
 It was used by the French to stop the unstoppable
German army advancing throughout Belgium and
France.
 However, while the French were the first to use a gas
against an enemy, the Germans had been giving a great
deal of thought to the use of poison gas as a way of
inflicting a major defeat on an enemy.
Sites
 Briggs, Josh. "HowStuffWorks "How Mustard Gas
Works"" Howstuffworks "Science" Howstuff Works Inc.
Web. 19 Jan. 2011.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/mustard-gas>.
 "CDC Sulfur Mustard (Mustard Gas) | Emergency
Preparedness & Response." CDC Emergency
Preparedness & Response Site. Web. 19 Jan. 2011.
<http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/sulfurmustard/>.