Choking agents (aka
Pulmonary agents as they irritate the lungs)
Choking agents were employed first by
the German army and later by the Allied forces in World War I. The first
massive use of chemical weapons in that conflict came when the Germans
released chlorine gas from thousands of cylinders along a 6-km (4-mile)
front at Ypres, Belgium, on April 22, 1915, creating a wind-borne
chemical cloud that opened a major breach in the lines of the unprepared
French and Algerian units. Eventually both sides mastered the new
techniques of using choking agents such as chlorine, phosgene,
diphosgene, chloropicrin, ethyldichlorarsine and perfluoroisobutylene,
and launched numerous attacks though without any militarily significant
breakthroughs once each side had introduced the first crude gas masks
and other protective measures.
Choking agents are delivered as gas clouds to the target area, where
individuals become casualties through inhalation of the vapour. The
toxic agent causes inflammation of the lungs and this causes
fluids to build up in the lungs, which can cause death through
asphyxiation. The effects may take up to three hours to be apparent. The
long-term effects may last for many years.
Choking agents are not generally likely to be used in conventional
warfare, but due to their ease of manufacture some have been used in
recent years by countries that are not regarded as technologically
advanced, and could also be used by terrorists.
One of very few choking agents that are
considered likely to be used in warfare today. It is a colourless gas;
in low concentrations, its odour resembles freshly cut hay or grass.
Poisoning caused by phosgene depends on the amount a person is exposed
to, the route of exposure, and the length of time that a person is
exposed. Carbonyl chloride gas and liquid are irritants that can damage
the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs
Chlorine gas can be recognized by its
pungent, irritating odour, it smells like bleach which contains high
concentrations of chlorine. The strong smell may provide adequate
warning to people that they are exposed. Chlorine gas is yellow-green in
colour. When it comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes,
throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues.
Chloromethyl chloroformate appears as a
colourless liquid at normal temperatures with a penetrating, irritating
odor. It is denser than water. It is toxic by ingestion,
inhalation and skin absorption. Inhalation, ingestion or contact
(skin, eyes) with vapour or liquid may cause severe injury, burns or
death. When it comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes,
throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues.
A colorless to faintly yellow oily
liquid, which vapourises readily. It has an intensely irritating odour.
Inhalation of 1 ppm causes eye irritation and can warn of exposure.
Both compounds have a suffocating and
irritating odour. When they come into contact with moist tissues such as
the eyes, throat, and lungs, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid are
produced that can damage these tissues. Severe eye damage can occur at
very low levels of exposure, below those detectable by the sense of
smell.
Dimethyl sulphate is a colourless oily
liquid with a slight onion-like odour (although smelling it would
represent significant exposure). Dimethyl sulfate is absorbed
through the skin, mucous membranes, and gastrointestinal tract, and can
cause a fatal delayed respiratory tract reaction. Dimethyl sulphate can
produce a lethal concentration in air by evaporation at 20 °C.
Diphosgene is liquid at normal
temperatures but readily produces vapour at toxic concentrations. It can
be absorbed into the body in hazardous amounts by inhalation, it is not
readily absorbed through the skin.
This colourless volatile liquid,
reportedly smells like rotting fruit. Vapours irritate eyes and skin.
Very toxic by inhalation. Denser than water and vapours are heavier than
air.