Chemical Warfare
Lets observe a few effects of chemical agents through chemical warfare. Chemical warfare can be better understood by the use of chemicals and other explosions which contain irritants, asphyxiants, contaminants, and poisons as weapons in war. Well, according to the United Nations report, chemical weapons are defined as any toxic chemicals through their effect on the living processes, may cause death, temporary loss of performance, or permanent injury to people and animals. Plants are not mentioned, but have some adverse reactions as well. Plants and other vegetation may develop brown spots especially in the leaves, if exposed to the chemicals long enough. Chemical agents can take on the form of a liquid, solid, or gaseous state. These agents can be classified in many different ways do to their properties and potencies. They can also be grouped into categories based on there physiological effects. Two of the most highly used methods of dispersing are through c!ontaminating the air, or through covering the surface. Now these agents can be divided into their crippling effects depending on the amount of lethal doses which are contained. For a chemical weapon to be considered lethal over incapacitating, the dilu
tion of a substance must be around a 1:10 ratio. Furthermore, diluting the chemical even more can reduce the effects to cause minor symptoms like vomiting or visualizing problems. Some military weapons are not thought of as chemical weapons, even though the smoke that engulfs the air is highly toxic in elevated intensities. At this present time, there are thousands of different types of poisonous substances, but only a few can actually be considered for chemical warfare use. The reason there are only a few that can be used is due to the factors of stockpiling them when they are not used. There are some questions that need to be answered in order to pick the right chemicals for use. Are the chemicals highl! irregular cardiac rhythm. The only thing that makes these groups of agents even more dangerous, is that the materials needed to make them is very inexpensive and very easy to get a hold of. Mustard gas is known as the "King of the Gases." This is because of its devastating effects on humans and its strength, which is fifty times greater than nerve gas. This chemical compound is a thioether, 2,2 -dichlorodiethyl sulfide, (ClCH2CH2)2S. This agent can be prepared by reacting ethylene with sulfur monochloride. It is not a gas, but a colorless, oily liquid which comes from black mustard seeds. It boils at about 217 degrees Celsius and the melting point is at 14 degrees Celsius. The density is 1.27 g/cm cubed and is not soluble in water. Mustard gas decomposes in an aqueous solution to form a nonpoisonous substance. This process is done by means of hydrolysis. Therefore, this reaction is catalyzed by alkali. Decomposing mustard gas is a very slow proces! es celsuis, and is miscible water and slowly decomposes. The average lethal casualty dose is 2-5000 mg-min /m3. This agent is absorbed through the lungs and the effects are not felt until the lethal dose has been consumed. It effects the central nervous system . At low concentration levels, a person may experience a couple of different symptoms. A person may feel immediate warmth, prostration, nausea, headaches, difficulty in breathing, can become unconscious, and even go into convulsions. Higher concentrations of this dangerous gas can cause sudden loss of consciousness and death from respir
Some common words found in the essay are:
United Nations, King Gases, , mustard gas, nerve gas, degrees celsius, sarin nerve gas, cyanide gas, chemical agent, sarin nerve, chemical warfare, highly toxic, lung damage, chemical weapons, gas sarin nerve,
Approximate Word count = 1565
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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