Chemical Warfare Essay, Research Paper
Chemical weapons are a serious threat to the world and have the ability to wipe out entire cities, destroying everything in sight. Chemical weapons were first widely used in WWI. Just how many people were killed or injured in WWI due to chemical weapons? According to the Chemical Weapons Convention webpage, 1,400,000 people were affected by chemical weapons during WWI. The most serious casualties occurred in Russia where 475,000 people were injured and 56,000 people were killed ( CWC Homepage E. The threat of Chemical weapons is still among us today. Recently Saddam Hussein avoided weapon inspections by the United Nations. It has been discovered that Hussein had used chemical weapons during Desert Storm and may still have some.
Chemical warfare can be used in more ways than one. The most common use of chemical warfare is through the use of gasses. These chemical gasses can be used in hand-to-hand combat where the gasses are stored in grenades and thrown or fired from a grenade launcher. To get a wider effect, the gasses can be sprayed from an airplane, similar to crop-dusting. Many times, bombs that contain nuclear chemicals or poisonous gasses are dropped on cities. Missiles have now been filled with nuclear warheads and biological toxins. The United States ETomahawk missiles and Iraq s S.C.U.D. missiles are examples of this (Mitretek).
Chemical weapons are made to attack a person s central nervous system. They attack the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. Most chemical agents are airborne. A common airborne chemical weapon used by the police in riot situations is tear gas. The tear gas is kept in grenades and irritates the eyes and lungs, causing violent coughing, blurry vision, and an inability to fight back. Another very common chemical weapon is mustard gas.
The molecular formula for mustard gas is C4H8Cl2S (Mitretek). Mustard gas has no immediate effect but after approximately four hours symptoms of itching, burning, and inflammation in areas where the gas has contact with the skin occurs. These symptoms are followed by tissue swelling and after twenty to twenty four hours, blisters form around the infected area growing into large blisters with a colorless liquid. The wounds from the gas take several months to heal (Mitretek). Exposure or inhalation of mustard gas, as well as other chemicals, for a long period of time can also be fatal.
A more recent type of chemical warfare is nuclear weapons such as the atomic bomb used in World War II. In nuclear weapons, atoms are split and when these atoms split, huge explosions occur, raising the temperature of the area where the nuclear weapon is dropped to one million degrees Fahrenheit in less than one second (Hiroshima). Everything close to the area becomes vaporized and a huge blast expands from the epicenter of the explosion (Hiroshima). Radiation from the blast causes severe damage to the DNA of an organism and improper cell mitosis. Victims of nuclear bomb victims suffer from severe radiation burns, mutations, sterility in men, and birth defects in pregnant women (Mitretek).
Biological warfare is probably the deadliest type of chemical warfare. Biological warfare, also know as germ warfare, is the use of microorganisms, viruses, and the toxins that are produced from them to cause disease and death of enemy soldiers, civilians, animals, and even crops. This type of warfare is more dangerous than other types of warfare because the diseases are contagious; once one person catches it, it spreads to
others causing the disease to be more effective and last longer long after the original sample has been exposed (Mitretek).
Anthrax is one of the most popular biological weapons. There are two main types of anthrax. The less dangerous type of anthrax is found in soil and can be contracted by humans when handling infected animals. This type of anthrax causes nausea and sickness. The more dangerous type of anthrax is airborne and is dropped from airplanes. When the airborne anthrax is inhaled, it causes cardiac and or respiratory arrest leading to immediate death. Viruses can also be used as chemical weapons (Mitretek).
The small pox virus, also known as poxviridae, still exists today but can only be found in two places: in a freezer in a lab in the United States, and the other in a lab in Russia. Both nations would like to end the threat of smallpox but each nations fear that if one of them destroys their strain of smallpox, the other will attack with the virus. Each of the two nations still holds the biological weapon because of this fear. This is an example of why we do not have complete chemical weapon banning today. Everyone fears that if they turn over their chemical weapons, another nation will attack and overtake their country ( CWC Homepage E.
The idea of chemical warfare is not a new one. For centuries, chemical and biological agents have been used in battles to overtake enemies. In ancient times, the Spartans used pitch and sulfur in battles. In medieval times, soldiers would use a catapult to throw bodies of plague victims over the walls of their enemies to spread the plague ( History E. They would also throw bodies of plague victims in the wells of their enemies to contaminate their supply of water ( History E. Even our nation was gained by
using the idea of chemical warfare. During the French and Indian wars, American colonists gave blankets used by victims of the smallpox virus to the Native Americans ( History E. The Native Americans had never been exposed to the European disease and the disease spread quickly among their population.
The first time chemical warfare was widely used was during World War I. In 1915 in Ypres, France, the Germans spread chlorine gas near the British and French lines. This sparked the use and development of deadly chemical agents by both side during the war. By 1917, the Germans were using nerve and mustard gasses. Soon the gas mask became the most important piece of equipment to a soldier, next to his gun (Mitretek). The war made chemical weapons popular and production and use of chemical weapons increased.
Only recently have people begun to realize the dangers of chemical warfare. In 1972, seventy nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed the Biological Weapons Convention. By signing the Biological Weapons Convention, these seventy nations pledged to stop the production of chemical weapons and to destroy all of the chemical and biological agents in their possession. The nations agreed that the chemical weapons killed too many people. Today President Clinton is still working hard to outlaw the use, production, and possession of chemical weapons. A treaty was designed in 1992 and was opened for signature in January of 1993 ( CWC Homepage E. By November 1997, 168 countries signed the treaty and 105 other countries ratified it ( CWC Homepage E. The threat of chemical warfare may never end because of the fear that if a nation gives up their research and supply of weapons, they leave themselves open
for attack by a country with chemical weapons. With the recent fear of Iraq s weapon supply, the threat of chemical warfare is still alive today and may never end.
Works Cited
1. The Chemical Weapons Convention Homepage. E 4 April 2000
2. Hiroshima. Dir. Koreyoshi Kurahara and Spottiswoode. Made for TV, 1995
3. History of Biological Warfare E 22 April 2000
4. Mitretek Systems. Background on Chemical Warfare. E 17 Feb. 1999
Другие работы по теме:
Ants Essay Research Paper There are more
Ants Essay, Research Paper There are more then 10,000 species of ants and they all share the same common traits. The traits that they share are three body sections. The body sections
Batteries Essay Research Paper BatteriesSince my project
Batteries Essay, Research Paper BatteriesSince my project is mainly about batteries, I decided toresearch the topic “battery.” Here is the research that I discovered. The first person ever to use the battery was Alessandro Volta.He was an Italian professor who devised the first battery in the1800’s. He created this device to provide steady electric currentfor study and practical use.
Vietman War Essay Research Paper The Viet
Vietman War Essay, Research Paper The Viet Cong were experts at the use of several unconventional battle tactics, namely, Guerilla Warfare. This is how they won many of the battles in the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong, during ground battles used small arms, some of which they had made themselves. Another technique they used was psychological warfare.
Untitled Essay Research Paper MATERIAL SAFETY DATA
Untitled Essay, Research Paper MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET WOMEN: A Chemical Analysis ELEMENT: Woman SYMBOL: WO DISCOVERER Adam ATOMIC MASS: Accepted as 118 lbs, known to vary from 110 to 550 lbs. OCCURRENCE: Copious quantities throughout the world. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES: 1. Surface usually covered with a painted film. 2.
Saddam Insane Essay Research Paper Saddam Hussein
Saddam Insane! Essay, Research Paper Saddam Hussein is back with avengeance, and his threats of world destruction aren’t to be taken lightly. The United States tried unsuccessfully to target him during the Gulf War in February 1991, however, they confidently expected the Iraq leader to be gone within months.
Chemical Castration Essay Research Paper Biological Psychology
Chemical Castration Essay, Research Paper Biological Psychology: Essay #2 “What are some arguments for and against the use of hormone treatments on sexual predators?” California became the first state in 1997 to mandate chemical castration for several classes of convicted sexual predators.Proponents for the use of hormone treatments on sexual predators give several very good arguments.
Chemical Compounds Bromine Essay Research Paper The
Chemical Compounds Bromine Essay, Research Paper The element Bromine, is a red liquid which is explosive at room temperature and has a red brown vapour. It has an atomic number of 35 and an atomic mass of 79.909. The
Change To Chemical Warfare In The Great
War Essay, Research Paper Change to Chemical Warfare in The Great War The decision by the Germans to first use chemical bombs was a very controversial one. Not only did it open up a can of worms in World War one, but changed the face of
Chemical 2
Chemical & Biological Warfare Essay, Research Paper Chemical & Biological Warfare Ever since the beginning of time people have used tools, which were later called weapons. People have
Doomsday Essay Research Paper Doomsday The
Doomsday Essay, Research Paper Doomsday. The day when every living thing on this earth will die and will face the Creator for Judgement Day. Many people believe this will happen, and soon. Possibly New Years’ Eve, the year 2000. But will it happen? The world will soon find out. Three areas to be looked at are: the Cold War starting after the Second World War; nuclear war, its possibility of reoccurring and the way the media views the threat of nuclear war; and finally, whether the apocalypse is approaching, what the world’s military capability for a nuclear and chemical apocalypse is.
Arms Control Essay Research Paper Arms ControlArms
Arms Control Essay, Research Paper Arms Control Arms control is a major issue facing the nations of the world today. The concept that a war today could destroy every living thing doesn?t sit well with many people. So to control weapons and what nations have these weapons will help control war. With problems with Nuclear weapons, Biological, chemical, and small arms we need to control them to help curve the problem.
Chemical Equlilbria Essay Research Paper Work to
Chemical Equlilbria Essay, Research Paper Work to be done: *By experiments find out how chemical equilibria works. Chemicals and apparatus: *Two beakers *Five test-tubes *Kaliumtiocyanat, KSCN *0.002M Kaliumtiocyanatsolution, KSCN + H2O *Dinatriumfosfat, Na2HPO4 *0.002M Iron(III)nitratesolution, FeNO3 *0.2M Silvernitratesolution, AgNO3Lab: Lab 1 One test-tubes is filled half of distilled water (A) and another with kaliumtiocyanatsolution (B).
Types Of Chemical Rxn Essay Research Paper
Purpose: Observe chemical reactions and ID reactants and products of the reactions. Classify the reactions and write balanced Equations. Theoretical Background: A chemical reaction is a what happens to components that
Chemical Essay Research Paper The chemical equation
Chemical Essay, Research Paper The chemical equation 2H2+O2[right arrow]2H2O represents the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water. The arrow points in the direction of the reaction from the reactants (substances that react) toward the product or products. In this case the reactants are hydrogen (written H2 because each molecule consists of two atoms of hydrogen) and oxygen (written O2 because each molecule consists of two atoms of oxygen) and the product is water.
Basic Chemical Engineering Essay Research Paper In
Basic Chemical Engineering Essay, Research Paper In engineering science, you d be among students who want more than a degree: they want to be challenged and stretched. The average entry grade is over 90%, and the program is designed to prepare students for the rigors of further education. Some graduates go on to a Masters or Ph.
Gun Control 2 Essay Research Paper We
Gun Control 2 Essay, Research Paper We the students of class 7-508 do not agree with the statement that people should carry weapons. We do not agree with this statement
Nuclear Weapons Essay Research Paper The topic
Nuclear Weapons Essay, Research Paper The topic of nuclear weapons is one that will be around forever. One of my favorite lines from the reading we had was that we cannot uninvent nuclear
Untitled Essay Research Paper Mustard Gas is
Untitled Essay, Research Paper Mustard Gas is a group of chemical compounds used in chemical warfare, so called because of its mustard-like smell. Mustard gas contains carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine, with either sulfur or nitrogen. When it comes in contact with skin, mustard gas causes severe blisters.
Sulfuric Acid Essay Research Paper Sulfuric AcidFew
Sulfuric Acid Essay, Research Paper Sulfuric Acid Few chemicals affect people’s lives in as many ways as does sulfuric acid. It is used in making thousands of everyday products and has been called the single most important indutrial chemical. One of its most familiar uses is in automobile batteries. Sulfuric acid is alos used in such manufacturing processes as the production of fertilizers, drugs, detergents, and many metals.
Chemical Bonding Essay Research Paper Chemical bonds
Chemical Bonding Essay, Research Paper Chemical bonds are what make up the world. In bonds, elements are held together and form compounds that may have new physical and chemical properties. There are two main kinds of bonds, they ionic and covalent. In bonding the goal of the atoms involved is to reach a level of stability with less energy.
Chemical And Phisical Changes Essay Research Paper
Title:Chemical and Physical Changes. Purpose:To determine the differences between chemical and physical changes when they happen. Materials: Five test tubes, Bunsen burner, crucible, test tube holder, triple beam balance, ring stand, triangle, evaporation dish, wood splint, copper turnings, copper (II) nitrate, dilute nitric acid, Ba(NO3)2, Na2CrO4, FeCl3, KSCN, AgNO3, ammonium dichromate, safety goggles, and matches.
Chemical Warfare Essay Research Paper Chemical warfare
Chemical Warfare Essay, Research Paper Chemical warfare is war fought with chemicals. The development of chemical weapons and defenses against these weapons are usually considered together in military training. These weapons can be designed to kill large numbers of people, disable them for a while, or destroy their food supplies.
Benzoyl Peroxide Essay Research Paper Chemical Name
Benzoyl Peroxide Essay, Research Paper Chemical Name: Benzoyl Peroxide (C14H10O4) Benzoyl peroxide is the main compound found in several different pharmaceuticals for treating acne, food additives, as polymers, and catalysts in several different reactions. Other common names for this compound are; Oxy-10, Panoxyl, Benzagel 10, Benzoic acid, Lucidol, and several others.
Chemical Warfare Essay Research Paper Chemical WarfareBy
Chemical Warfare Essay, Research Paper Chemical Warfare By: Jesse Wampler In this report I will be giving a history of chemical warfare. I will also be showing a chart that includes the Agent, and many other useful information about nerve gas agents which are the main item for chemical warfare. This report will also include the effects of nerve gas on the human body.
Biology Essay Research Paper Why is knowledge
Biology Essay, Research Paper Why is knowledge of chemistry important to biology? Maier, Scott Advanced biology 10/7/99 Biology is the study of all living things and chemistry is the study of chemicals and their interactions. So, how are they related?
Apple Cider Essay Research Paper The Young
Apple Cider Essay, Research Paper The Young Students Learning Library defines fermentation as a chemical change caused by many different kinds of bacteria, molds, and yeasts. These different types of fermentation give off certain chemicals. The chemicals found in most are enzymes. An enzyme is a chemical compound that makes the chemical reaction faster.