2. World War I
• In World War I, chemical warfare became a
major component of the war.
• It developed more and more all the way
throughout the 20th century
3. Types of Gases
• Mustard Gas (also known as sulfur mustard):
this type of gas caused large blisters on
exposed skin and in the lungs, therefore
resulting in long painful death. In its pure
form, it is colorless and a viscous liquid. In its
impure form it is yellow-brown and has an
odor resembling mustard plants
4. Types of Gases
• Tear Gas: this is a non-lethal type of gas,
unlike mustard gas. It causes temporary
blindness, tears and extreme pain and affects
the corneal nerve (cornea is the transparent
part of the eye on the top).
5. Deaths/Usage
• Only 4 percent of the deaths in World War I
were from chemicals. At the time they were
very limited and not developed enough to
cause serious damage. However, it was very
effective when it came to clearing out areas.
There were no countermeasures to be used,
because gas masks hadn’t been invented yet.
6. Phosgene & Chlorine
• Both of these gases are lethal. They were both
used during the second world war.
7. Bombs
• In October 1914, German troops fired the first
fragmentation shells. A frag shell is a shell on
impact explodes into many pieces shooting
out pieces of metal (usually) to hit multiple
targets with a single shell.
10. Questions
• 1) What were the effects of Chlorine gas on
humans?
• 2) What were the effects of Phosgene gas on
humans
• 3) What other types of bombs were created
around this time?
• 4) What kind weapons were used to shoot
these bombs?
• 5) What was another name for World War I,
relating to chemical warfare?
