Part One
Chemical Weapons
In our sophisticated modern world, many things make us painfully aware of the vulnerabilities of our society and our selves. In particular, the horrendous events of September 11, 2001, have opened our collective eyes to the very real possibility of terrorist attacks that may make use of so-called "chemical weapons". Certainly events that have transpired since World War I, and much more recently in Japan and in Iraq, have shown the world a side of warfare and of terrorism that is so impersonal and non-selective in nature that blind, unreasoning fear is the first of its by-products.
 It is debatable whether or not chemical weapons have a place as 'legitimate' weapons of war. But for terrorism, whose primary weapon is the fear and sheer terror instilled by unpredicted, and unpredictable, antisocial acts of extreme violence, chemical weapons offer an uniquely terrifying prospect. The greatest weapons against such terrorism are knowledge, and understanding, the lights that dispel the darkness of ignorance and fear. In the context of chemical weapons, the very knowledge of what those weapons might be and of their possible effects automatically makes them less terrifying, less effective, and so, hopefully, less likely to be deployed.
'Legitimate' chemical warfare deployments specifically target military personnel on the field of battle. Such deployment is intended to remove as many opposing forces as possible in the shortest amount of time. It should be noted that the purpose is not necessarily to kill, but only to render incapable of fighting. Unfortunately, this distinction seems to have been lost in recent times, and the phrase "most effective" has become synonymous with "most lethal" when describing chemical warfare agents.
In the context of a terrorist attack, the intended end is more sinister, involving the lives of unsuspecting civilians instead of military personnel: the elderly, the young, the defenseless.
A Historical View:
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| "Death on the Wind" image of chlorine gas clouds, courtesy Grey County Museum |
The principles of chemical warfare have been known for thousands and thousands of years; probably since the day our primitive ancestors first realized that certain materials could cause illness and death in creatures other than himself. One day, perhaps, Ogg looked at a certain mushroom and realized that if his arch-rival Thudd were to eat that particular mushroom, it would be much easier to claim Thudd's female as his own. Or maybe it was Toog who figured out that putting certain climbing vines into the trail used by Lugg's tribe would cause Lugg and his warriors to develop a terrible, itchy rash and it would be much easier to fight them when Toog's people carried out a raid. Of course, these efforts could only be effective if Thudd actually ate the mushroom, or if Lugg's warriors actually used that particular trail. And what would happen if Thudd's woman were to eat the food containing the poison mushroom instead of Thudd? Or if Toog's people got the terrible, itchy rash before Lugg's warriors did?
The procedure has not been refined much in the intervening millenia. Chemical warfare today relies as heavily on fortuitous circumstance and random chance as it did in Ogg's day. Only the materials involved, the actual chemical agents, have become more advanced. Although, if one considers the nature and potency of naturally-occurring agents such as snake venom, poison ivy, nicotine, Amanita mushrooms, poison dart frog exudate, and a host of others, even this last point becomes quite debatable.
 What we consider to be "chemical warfare" and its corresponding chemical warfare agents, have their origins in developments made during World War I. In essence, standard weapons such as bombs and artillery shells were adapted to contain various chemicals available from contemporary industrial applications. These weapons would then be delivered to the target in the usual way, and upon detonation of the projectile, the chemical would be released to continue its destructive work. Once it was realized that such weapons could be effective, the search was on to find or develop better, more effective chemical warfare agents. Since that time, a truly awe-inspiring variety of chemical warfare agents have been developed.
The first uses of chemical warfare agents occurred during World War I, when German troops placed canisters of chlorine gas on the battlefield and opened them. Smokey billows of greenish-yellow chlorine gas were released into the air, allowing the prevailing winds to deliver the material to the intended targets (allied ground troops). It was not unknown for a shift in the wind direction to bring the clouds of released gas back toward their source, turning the attackers into unintended victims of attack. It was not long after the first gas attack that the French adapted projectile-type artillery shells to deliver and release the industrial chemical phosgene (carbonyl chloride, COCl2). "Mustard gas" made its debut in a similar way when it was first used in German artillery shells in 1917. At the same time, diphenyl chloroarsine, which is a solid particulate material rather than a liquid or gas, was tried as a so-called "mask breaker" material.
The frightening prospects arising from this new kind of warfare led to the inclusion of chemical warfare in the Geneva Protocol (the "Geneva Convention"). In essence a set of rules of conduct for modern warfare, the Geneva Protocol defined such diverse conventions as the treatment of prisoners of war, and the configuration of military small arms ammunition (why military small arms ammunition uses full metal jacketed bullets instead of open-ended 'mushroom'-type bullets, for example).
The Geneva Protocol specifically prohibited the use of chemical weapons in warfare. Many nations signed to the convention in 1925, but several of the signatories, including the United States, signed with a reservation: they would not be the first to use chemical weapons in any conflict, but they reserved the right to respond in kind if chemical weapons were used against their forces.
 In the intervening years, there have in fact been few military uses of chemical weapons. Italy employed them in Ethiopia, and Japan used chemical weapons in both Manchuria and China. Chemical weapons were certainly used in the Iran-Iraq war of 1982-1987, deployed by Iraq to break the "human wave" attacks being used by Iranian forces. Other uses of chemical weapons in local conflicts since World War II have been argued, but evidence both for and against is inconclusive. Many of the casualties incurred during the Gulf War, for example, can be attributed to chemical effects, but it is not clear whether the source of the chemicals was deployment of chemical weapons or the fallout from burning oil wells.
Historically, both Italy and Japan were signatories to the Geneva Protocol, and the United States, although a signatory, did not actually ratify the Geneva Protocol until 1975, fifty years after signing. It is also interesting to note that though many new and very effective chemical weapons had been developed, and large stockpiles of those new materials had been built up, neither the Allied nor the Axis forces employed chemical weapons during World War II.
Today, the greatest fear of chemical weapons is in the context of a terrorist attack. This is perhaps equally true in both military and civilian life. Certainly no soldier relishes the idea of entering a battlefield with the prospect of facing an enemy weapon that can not be seen or smelled or touched, and whose presence can only be identified too late, No more would any civilian relish the idea of going into a crowded subway train or shopping mall with the prospect of encountering some deadly chemical agent.
Next Time We Will Continue with The Nature of Chemical Weapons
For Further Information You May View The Following Links
http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/cw/intro.htm - "Chemical Weapons - Introduction"
http://www.opcw.nl/chemhaz/potent.htm - "Potential Chemical Weapons"
http://www.emergency.com/nervgas.htm - "Poison Warfare (Nerve) Gases"
http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/history/A0811637.html - "Chemical Warfare"
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,250011075,00.html - "Chemical Warfare Has A Long And Terrifying History" - Joe Bauman, Deseret News staff writer
http://www.greycounty.on.ca/museum/ww1dwnd.html - "Death On The Wind: Gas Warfare"
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/vx.htm - "Chemical Agent Fact Sheet: VX Nerve Agent"
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/tabun.htm - "Chemical Agent Fact Sheet: Tabun-GA Nerve Agent"
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/sarin.htm - "Chemical Agent Fact Sheet: Sarin-GB Nerve Agent"
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/soman.htm - "Chemical Agent Fact Sheet: Soman-GD Nerve Agent"
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/mustard.htm - "Chemical Agent Fact Sheet: Mustard-HD Blister Agent"
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/ChemWar.html - "Chemical Warfare Agents"
Articles and Columns By Richard:
Radon, A Rare Element
Chemical Weapons
A Four Part Series
What is pH?
Composite Materials
How Can A Bullet-proof Vest Stop A Bullet?
Richard M. J. Renneboog
Information Technology Developer / Webmaster
Renaissance Aeronautics Associates Incorporated
P.O. Box 54
Strathroy, Ontario
N7G-3J1
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(519)-319-5780
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A Brief Bio
Richard M. J. Renneboog completed Honours B.Sc. at The University of Western Ontario, in 1979. He earned a M.Sc. degree in 1983 in the field of Synthetic Organic Chemistry studying under Prof. Robert M. Cory in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada. He pursued further studies in mass spectrometry with Prof. Paul Kebarle and in the synthesis of enzyme model systems with Prof. R.S. Brown, in the Department of Chemistry at University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
In 1991, Richard completed accelerated study for Technologist diploma in Electronics Engineering Technology at Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Since 1991, has been independent private technical consultant and writer in both chemical and computer applications. Endeavours have included the composition of scripts for instructional and promotional video, corporate website design, curriculum development for training in advanced composites technology, and web site development. |
