Chemical Weapons tests your knowledge of poison gases.
Fifteen years before the outbreak of World War I the Hague convention forbade the use of poisonous gases in warfare. Despite this, chemical weapons were used by both sides during the war, causing the death and ill health of many thousands of men.
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Tear gas did not contravene the rules of the Hague convention as it was an irritant rather than a poison
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In the cold January weather the pressurised gas could not maintain itself as a vapour. This was, in fact, fortunate for the Germans as before it froze, the gas was being blown back towards them by the wind!
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Asphyxiation, due to lung damage, caused most chlorine gas deaths. The eyes were also vulnerable and many men were blinded
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The poisonous gases were heavier than air and so they gathered at the bottom of trenches. Any physical exertion made the effects of the gas worse so the best thing to do was to stand still as high up in the trench as possible
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Chlorine gas dissolves in water so damp cloths helped to lessen the damage it caused. In the absence of water, men used cloths soaked in urine
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A British general said of poison gas, “It is a cowardly form of warfare (but) ... We cannot win this war unless we kill or incapacitate more of our enemies than they do of us, and if this can only be done by our copying the enemy in his choice of weapons, we must not refuse to do so”
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Matters were made worse when German shells hit the British gas cylinders which released their gases on the British lines
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The Germans called mustard gas 'yellow cross' as it came in yellow marked shells. The French called it 'Yperite' after Ypres where it was first used
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As well as burning the skin, mustard gas could cause internal bleeding. It also attacked the lungs, causing a slow and agonising death
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Although only 7% of those affected by gas died as a direct result of their injuries, many more died years later due to the latent effects of gases and so they are not included in the figures. Many men were blinded and others suffered ill health for the rest of their lives. Cancer was also much more likely to occur in those who had been subjected to gas attacks
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