Mustard Gas

Mustard Gas - Nitrogen Mustard HN and Sulfur Mustard HN are the most feared vesicants historically, because of their chemical stability, their persistency in the field, their effect on skin as well as eyes and the respiratory tract, and because no effective therapy is yet available for them. Since its first use in 1917, mustard has concerned military personnel because of the many problems it poses regarding protection, decontamination and treatment.

The ease with which sulphur mustard can be manufactured as both a liquid and a vapor would suggest that in a possible future chemical war HD will be preferred to HN. Due to their physical properties, mustards are very persistent in cold and temperate climates. Mustards thickened with other products are very difficult to remove by decontaminating processes.

Within 2 minutes contact time, depending on concentration levels, a drop of mustard on the skin can cause serious damage. Chemical inactivation using chlorination is effective against mustard and lewisite, less so against HN, and is ineffective against phosgene oxime.

WARNING! The eyes are more susceptible to mustard than either the respiratory tract or the skin. The effects of mustard on the eyes are very painful.

Conjunctivitis follows exposure of about 1 hour to concentrations barely perceptible by odor. This exposure does not affect the respiratory tract significantly. A latent period of 4 to 12 hours follows mild exposure, after which there is tearing and a sensation of grit in the eyes. The conjunctiva and the lids become red. Heavy exposure irritates the eyes after 1 to 3 hours and produces severe lesions.

The hallmark of sulphur mustard exposure is a latent symptom and sign-free period of some hours post exposure. The duration of this period and the severity of the lesions are dependent upon the mode of exposure, environmental conditions and individual health. High temperature and wet skin are associated with more severe lesions and shorter latent periods.