Use of Mustard Gas in Wars

Stedman (1950) reports that mustard gas, which is sometimes referred to as diplienylchlorasine, was used in warfare, although there is no mention of experimentation on military personnel. Pechura (1993) notes that mustard gas, which is sometimes referred to as sulfur mustard, was used during World War II. Smith and Dunn (1991) and Thomas (1985; 1952) further report that mustard gas is referred to as dichlorethyl sulfide, and that this gas was used during World War I and World War II. In addition, Pechura (1993) and Thomas (1965; 1952) note that lewisite, which is another form of poisonous gas that contains arsenic, was used in warfare. Thomas-(1985; 1952) as well reports that nitrogen mustard, which was generally used as a series of therapeutic mustard compounds, was also used during World War I and World War II. Thus, there were not only several poisonous gasses used during World Wars I and II, but there were several forms of mustard gas used during this same period. Moreover, the Department of Dermatology, of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (1992), as well as Eisenmenger, Drasch, von Clarmann, Kretschmer, and Roider (1991) report that mustard gas was used during the Iran-Iraq War by Iraqi forces.

Staff of Nature (1993) report that there is now known evidence that mustard gas, lewisite gas, and nitrogen mustard were used to conduct experiments on unknowing military personnel. In fact, the Institute of Medicine in the United State

health problems that were related to their experimental exposures, was at a loss (Pechura, 1993; Staff, 1993). In fact, Pechura (1993) reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs was not even convinced that such experimentation had been conducted. Moreover, there was no knowledge base existent about the health outcomes for experimentation participants for mustard gas, lewisite gas, or nitrogen mustard gas. The Department, however, had identified seven conditions that appeared to be long-term health effects related to these gases: that is, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, chronic laryngitis, corneal opacities, chronic conjunctivitis, and ocular keratitis appeared to be related to exposure to the above-noted gases by means of claims submission and healthcare records of veterans. Response of the Attendant Agencies The appearance of a relationship between exposure to mustard gas, lewisite gas, or nitrogen mustard gas and the above-noted long-term health effects, proved insufficient and inadequate for the Department of Veterans Affairs to begin recognition of gas-exposure claims. As a result, the claims of former military personnel were denied (Pechura, 1993). In addition, Cowan, Broomfield, and Smith (1992), as

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