Basically, once we were able to isolate different elements, followed by testing interactions and measuring subsequent characteristics, it was only natural to weaponize chemistry in a more formal way than poisoning an aqueduct with poisonous plant extracts. Using whatever means available to destroy an enemy has often been the mantra during wartime, but chemical warfare was perfected in the early years of the 20th century.Ī greater understanding of chemical sciences and chemical periodicity allowed for the development of these weapons. Warring factions have dipped their arrows or coated their bullets in poison, and toxic fumes have been directed towards enemies when the winds are right. Its use in wartime is banned by the Geneva Protocol and it hasn’t been widely used since World War I, yet even the phrase “mustard gas” sends a chill racing down certain spines a century later-what is mustard gas and why is it so famous?Ĭhemical weapons may seem like a modern invention, but they have actually been around for thousands of years, since ancient Greek city-states were poisoning each other’s water supply. Some of the darkest and most unconscionable weapons mankind has created are those of a chemical nature, and perhaps the most famous example of this is mustard gas. From clubs, swords, and bows to guns, bombs and drones, our species has been on a singular trajectory towards the mastery of death-dealing for millennia. One of the most terrible truths of warfare, however, is that our methods of killing have steadily increased in their efficiency, impartiality, and lethality since the first prehistoric caveman bashed another over the head with a stone. Our history is littered with blood-drenched battlefields and destruction, lessons that are too often unheeded or forgotten. ![]() There are few aspects of humanity more horrific than war. It results in a variety of painful symptoms and its use as a weapon is banned under the Geneva Protocol. Mustard gas is a chemical agent best known for its use in World War I that is highly toxic, but rarely fatal.
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