I wasn’t aware of how much gas explosions in WWI affected the soldiers. I knew they used them, but I didn’t know about all of the facts behind the poison. These chemicals were forbid at both The Hague Declaration and Convention. Since Germany was the leading the world in science, the chemists were experimenting with different combinations of chemicals to make lethal gases. Scientists were also curious on the effects these chemicals would have on the battlefield. Considering these gases were outlawed, but were still used should have never happened in the first place. This relates to the lecture by the Sussex Pledge; Germany was supposed to warn the United States of attacks on passenger lines but after a while they resumed attacking without notice. Personally, I was sickened by the video of the trench warfare. Those soldiers struggled miserably without the gas, it wasn’t necessary. I think biological weapons should be outlawed. Soldiers are coming to fight for their countries, not to get suffocated by …show more content…
Compared to the other gases used, mustard had the worse side effects. Every gas used required a recovery; even though mustard wasn’t the longest time period it was still called “King of Battle Gases” for a reason. After about 30 minutes of exposer to mustard gas, blistering would occur. It could also cause permanent eye damage; soldiers would have to walk in lines holding onto each other until they reached safety. Due to this new gas, medics had to establish a new level of treatment. Mustard gas would settle in ditches and cause hazards later for the soldiers. The life in the trenches was bad, but the factory workers had it just as bad, if not worse. In the factories workers had a rotational schedule; they would work for 20 days then have a week off to recover. Workers suffered from long term illnesses from the gas. Some symptoms included: headaches, eyelid spasms, inability to work a full day, indigestion, and