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History of Chemical Warfare

Chemical Warfare is war waged with chemicals, ranging from the offensive use of such chemicals to the defensive use against them. Chemical warfare agents are designed to kill people, temporarily disable a mass group of them, or destroy food supplies. These kinds of weapons are usually effective without having to destroy property. Chemical Agents (i.e. Cyanogen Chloride, Mustard Gas, Chlorine) have a range of different effects on people, with everything from internal effects such as respiratory and nervous damage, to external effects such as skin and eye damage. They include gases, liquids, sprays, and powders. Chemical agents can be sprayed from airplanes, dropped as bombs, fired by artillery in explosive shells, or dispersed by land mines. Some chemical agents, called nerve agents or poison gas, can cause death. They may be colorless, odorless, and tasteless.They can cause death rapidly if the victim inhales them or if they are splashed on bare skin. Cyanogen Chloride is one such of these chemicals; it is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas that poisons the blood and the nervous system. Other chemical agents are not fatal, but they make their victims unable to fight. Also, chemical agents can cause temporary blindness or confusion. Gas masks, other protective coverings, and injections of antidotes are used as defenses against chemical agents.