WWI Mustard Gas
World War I also saw the use of mustard gas. The Germans developed numerous ways to deploy mustard gas using artillery shells, mortar rounds, rockets and free-falling bombs. Even landmines were rigged with the gas. It was so pervasive that in the last year of the war, the British suffered 20,000 casualties from mustard gas. It was far from the deadliest form of attack in the war or even the deadliest chemical weapon used during the war but it has a terrifying reputation all the same.
The draw to mustard gas was not necessarily the number of casualties it caused but rather the fear it caused. Only 1 to 5% of those exposed to the gas died from the attack. But there was little protection for soldiers from the gas. While their gas masks protected their lungs and typically prevented death, it did not protect their skin.
Mustard gas would soak into the uniforms and cause the skin to blister and burn. The mustard gas could also remain for days which meant that it would settle into trenches and then it would be tracked into dugouts on the boots of soldiers. At night, the mud would poison the men while they slept. The mustard gas could also get into the water supply and poison the men that way.
Once exposed the effects can take days, weeks or even months to recover from. Eyes become red, painful and runny with the potential for permanent loss of sight. Scarring over exposed areas of skin is common and the lungs are often severely damaged if they have prolonged exposure to the gas. There remains no known cure for mustard gas. The only thing that could be done for the soldiers then and for people exposed today is supportive care.