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Phosgene

by Wolf Dragonard

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1914
The earliest military uses of chemicals were tear-inducing irritants rather than fatal or disabling poisons. During the first World War, the French army was the first to employ gas, using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas (ethyl bromoacetate) in August 1914.

1915
The first instance of large-scale use of gas as a weapon was on 31 January 1915, when Germany fired 18,000 artillery shells containing liquid xylyl bromide tear gas on Russian positions on the Rawka River, west of Warsaw during the Battle of Bolimov.

Phosgene
Following on the heels of chlorine gas came the use of phosgene. Phosgene as a weapon was more potent than chlorine in that while the latter was potentially deadly it caused the victim to violently cough and choke.

Phosgene caused much less coughing with the result that more of it was inhaled; it was consequently adopted by both German and Allied armies. Phosgene often had a delayed effect; apparently healthy soldiers were taken down with phosgene gas poisoning up to 48 hours after inhalation.

The so-called "white star" mixture of phosgene and chlorine was commonly used on the Somme: the chlorine content supplied the necessary vapour with which to carry the phosgene.

Immediate signs and symptoms of phosgene exposure

During or immediately after exposure to dangerous concentrations of phosgene, the following signs and symptoms may develop:

• Coughing
• Burning sensation in the throat and eyes
• Watery eyes
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Nausea and vomiting
• Skin contact can result in lesions similar to those from frostbite or burns
• Following exposure to high concentrations of phosgene, a person may develop fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) within 2 to 6 hours.

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released October 15, 2014

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Wolf Dragonard Stockholm, Sweden

Wolf Dragonard: ***Future Past Electronics***. The sound of the future and the past....."and futuristic sounds warbled off and on"...

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