Chemical Weapons, Chemical War

Human beings have been poisoning each other for centuries. But it wasn't until World War I that science advanced and honor declined enough for humans to do it with the ruthless efficiency of the modern age.

The first lethal chemical attacks in that war were none too sophisticated. German troops simply opened canisters of chlorine gas upwind of the Allies. Later, when the British first released poison gas, the wind blew it right back at them. But gas-filled artillery shells fixed that, and both sides embraced chemical war. Before peace came, there were more than a million chemical casualties, and more than 90,000 deaths.

Today, lethal chemical weapons generally fall into one of three categories. Choking agents, such as chlorine gas, attack the respiratory system and destroy lung tissue. Blister agents, such as mustard gas, burn and blister all tissue, from the skin of your face to the membranes of your eyes, nose, and throat. Nerve agents, the most deadly, disable your nervous system, causing your heart and lungs to fail.

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