CHEMICAL WARFARE

Chemical warfare, used several times by Iraqi troops in the fighting with Iran and against Iraq’s Kurdish minority, has been banned by international treaty since World War I.

Battle Dress for Chemical Warfare:

Mask: Basic (M-17) mask; protects from all known chemical and biological vectors in vapor form through the use of filters--one of each side of the cheek. Filters are replaceable.

Over-garment: A two-piece suit which protects against contact with chemical and biological toxin agents and radioactive particles. The outer layer is made of nylon and cotton. The inner layer is charcoal-impregnated polyurethane foam. Once the suit has been used it is discarded rather than decontaminated.

Gloves: Made of impregnable black butyl rubber; whom with inner cotton gloves for perspiration absorption.

Over-boot: Green vinyl slipped over combat boots.

Medical Effects of Chemical Warfare Agents:

Mustard Gas: Iraq manufactures this chemical weapon, which burns and blisters the parts of the body that it touches. Inhaled, it can cause death in two days or less by blistering lungs and causing them to fill with fluid. It can be absorbed by the skin, damaging immune systems and causing death in four to six weeks. In non-fatal dosages, it can cause lifetime respiratory problems.

Nerve Agents: These weapons can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, blindness, coma and death form paralysis and heart failure. Iraq makes the colorless, odorless nerve gases tabun and sarin, both inventions of Nazi Germany. Experts say that inhalation of a drop the size of a pinhead is enough to kill, and a small drop absorbed through the skin may cause death within 15 minutes.

Protection: Total isolation from the chemical agent is the only protection. Soldiers must wear special clothing and tanks can be sealed against gases, but absorbent chemicals in the vehicles’ air filtering systems must be renewed often. Soldiers must carry injectors of atropine, an antidote for nerve gas. Mustard gas contaminates the soil across which it is dispersed, making passage hazardous for long periods afterward. Nerve gases dissipate more quickly.

How a Binary Artillery Shell Works: The binary shell contains two components which form to make nerve gas. These components are harmless as long as they do not mix. The components are kept in individual canisters and inserted into the shell just before firing. Once the shell is fired, the flight and spin causes the liquid in the canisters to mix. After traveling a safe distance, it explodes and the mixed gases spread. The fuse detonates the burster, exploding the projectile. The blast heats and sprays nerve gas as an aerosol.