Action on Man

Phosgene acts both as a direct poison and as a strong lung irritant, causing rapid filling of the lungs with liquid. The majority of deaths are ascribed to the filling up of the lungs and consequently to the suffocation of the patients through lack of air. This filling up of the lungs is greatly hastened by exercise. Accordingly, all rules for the treatment of patients gassed with phosgene require that they immediately lie down and remain in that position. They are not even allowed to walk to a dressing station. The necessity of absolute quiet for gassed patients undoubtedly partly accounts for the later habit of carrying out a prolonged bombardment after a heavy phosgene gas attack. The high explosive causes confusion, forcing the men to move about more or less and practically prevents the evacuation of the gassed. In the early days of phosgene the death rate was unduly high because of lack of knowledge of this action of the gas. Due to the decreased lung area for oxygenizing the air, a fearful burden is thrown on the heart, and accordingly, those with a heart at all weak are apt to expire suddenly when exercising after being gassed.

As an illustration of the delayed action of phosgene, a large scale raid made by one of the American divisions during its training is highly illuminating.

This division decided to make a raid on enemy trenches which were situated on the opposite slope of a hill across a small valley. Up stream from both of the lines of trenches was a French village in the hands of the Germans. When the attack was launched the wind was blowing probably six or seven miles per hour directly down stream from the village, i.e., directly toward the trenches to be attacked. The usual high explosive box barrage was put around the trenches it was intended to capture.

Three hundred Americans made the attack. During the attack a little more than three tons of liquid phosgene was thrown into the village in 75- and 155-millimeter shells. The nearest edge of the village shelled with phosgene was less than 700 yards from the nearest attacking troops. None of the troops noticed the smell of phosgene, although the fumes from high explosive were so bad that a few of the men adjusted their respirators. The attack was made about 3 a.m., the men remaining about 45 minutes in the vicinity of the German trenches. The men then returned to their billets, some five or six kilometers back of the line. Soon after arriving there, that is in the neighborhood of 9 a.m., the men began to drop, and it was soon discovered that they were suffering from gas poisoning. Out of the 300 men making the attack 236 were gassed, four or five of whom died.

The Medical Department was exceedingly prompt and vigorous in the treatment of these cases, which probably accounted for the very low mortality.

This is one of the most interesting cases of the delayed action that may occur in gassing from phosgene. Here the concentration was slight and there is no doubt its effectiveness was largely due to the severe exercise taken by the men during and after the gassing.

It should be remarked in closing that while gas officers were not consulted in the planning of this attack, a general order was shortly thereafter issued requiring that gas officers be consulted whenever gas was to be used.

CHAPTER VII
LACHRYMATORS

Without question the eyes are the most sensitive part of the body so far as chemical warfare is concerned. Lachrymators are substances which affect the eyes, causing involuntary weeping. These substances can produce an intolerable atmosphere in concentrations one thousand times as dilute as that required for the most effective lethal agent. The great military value of these gases has already been mentioned and will be discussed more fully later.

There are a number of compounds which have some value as lachrymators, though a few are very much better than all the others. Practically all of them have no lethal properties in the concentrations in which they are efficient lachrymators, though we must not lose sight of the fact that many of them have a high lethal value if the concentration is of the order of the usual poison gas. The lachrymators are used alone when it is desired to neutralize a given territory or simply to harrass the enemy. At other times they are used with lethal gases to force the immediate or to prolong the wearing of the mask.

A large number of the lachrymators contain bromine. In order to maintain the gas warfare requirements, it was early decided that the bromine supply would have to be considerably increased. The most favorable source of bromine is the subterranean basin found in the vicinity of Midland, Michigan. Because of the extensive experience of the Dow Chemical Co. in all matters pertaining to the production of bromine, they were given charge of the sinking of seventeen government wells, capable of producing 650,000 pounds of bromine per year. While the plant was not operated during the War, it was later operated to complete a contract for 500,000 pounds of bromine salts. They will be held as a future war asset of the United States.

The principal lachrymators used during the War were:

Chloropicrin is something of a lachrymator, but it has greater value as a toxic gas.