U.S. says 350 ill from chlorine bombs in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/U_S_says_350_ill_from_chlorine_bombs_in_Iraq.html?siteSect=143&sid=7629646&cKey=1174136006000

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombings in involving toxic chlorine gas made 350 people ill in Falluja on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday, and another smaller bomb attack near Ramadi also released chlorine gas.

Hospital sources said earlier eight people were killed and dozens were became ill after chlorine gas was released in the two bombings in Falluja, in the western province of Anbar.

The attacks appeared to mark a stepped-up campaign by insurgents to use unconventional weapons, after two bombings involving chlorine killed eight people earlier this year. snip

Friday's two bombs in Falluja occurred within the space of 40 minutes in the early evening and both involved suicide bombers driving dumper trucks.

[whistle]

1. Iraq, the Mother of all Wars

<snip>
MUSTARD GAS POISONING


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In response to a request, I thought I'd look at Mustard Gas poisoning in particular. It was a nasty device and continued to kill people in the 1920's through making them more suceptable to illnesses. It left many disabled for life. I know many won't like my cartoon on the left, but that's my warped sense of humour for you. What it does hint at is that chemical warfare didn't start in WW1. In ancient times fires were lit so that smoke choked the other side, especially if the things you were burning was soaked in tar or oil. Hot oils were tipped over attackers besieging castles. So these things had gone on before WW1 took root.

Gas as we know it was first used on the western front at Ypres in 1915 (it had been first used on the eastern front) when they released Chlorine gas which was a suffocator, it caused great terror. It was deployed by pipe and was blown by the wind. The allies used it also, with a spectacular own goal at LOO's where the British managed to gas many of there own men.. The race was on to who could build the most effective gas, with differing agents being used and differing delivery devices. Masks were naturally introduced so the next step was to develop a gas that would penetrate masks. At the end of the war there were many different types of gas.

Types of gas Common name Effect
White Cross Eye Irritants (lachrymal)
Blue Cross Nasal and Pharyngeal tract irritants
Green Cross Suffocating Agents
Yellow Cross Caustic Agents


Most gas used in WW1 was the Lachrymal type-tear gas. It was used to cause serious inconvienience and terror. Men had to put on masks, and fight in them sapping their strength and weakening them. Those that got a lung full or eye full were inconpacitated for some time. The terror of a gas attack often caused non experienced troops to run, all in all it added to the hazardous environment of trench warfare. In 1917 the Germans developed a gas which could get through all masks and clothing etc, this was Mustard Gas- A real nasty one. It fitted in the yellow cross catagory, it was called mustard gas because of it's smell. It became the most effective chemical weapon of WW1. The reasons for this was, that it was difficult to detect, it penetrated anything, masks clothes, it vapourised relitively easily depending on the weather conditions and could form fogs, it was also easy to deliver. <more>

<link> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kylet1/gas.htm

[rfranklin]

2. See!!!! They had WMDs after all!! Cheney vindicated!!!!

This is hUGH1111