Chemical Warfare

Modern chemical weapons first appeared during World War I. The article "Chemical Warfare Agents" defines the chemical agents used in warfare as, "A substance which is intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate people because of its physiological effects. Excluded from this definition are riot control agents, herbicides, smoke and flame" (Federation) Using the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen and several articles on chemical warfare the realistic effect of chemical warfare, and how they effect the soldiers will be shown.

Chemical attacks were never predictable and when they happened they struck hard and fast, making it very difficult for the soldiers to get their masks on. In the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" Wilfred Owen describes an account of a chemical attack and what happens to the soldiers who fail to get their masks on in time, "Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! - An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And floud'ring like a man in fire or lime...Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning." (lines 9-14) Men who had fallen victim to chemical attacks died a slow and painful death. Wilfred Owen describes such a death, "He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

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If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues" (lines 16-24)

Many different types of chemical agents have been used during chemical warfare, what makes chemicals a weapon and what do they do to your body? According to Brian Marshall, "A chemical or biological weapon is a weapon of mass destruction. An effective attack using a chemical or biological agent can easily kill thousands of people." (How Biological) Many people, when they hear the term chemical warfare tend to think of nuclear bombs or something that releases toxic chemicals on a group of people, however giant bombs are usually missing from the equation. "A characteristic of nerve agents is that they are extremely toxic and that they have very rapid effect." ("Behavior of Nerve Agents") In the article "The Basics of Chemical and Biological Weapons" Brian Marshall states, "The first chemical weapon used effectively in battle was chlorine gas, which burns and destroys lung tissue." It was first used by the German