Pulmonary Agent - History

History

The first modern history use of a pulmonary agent was by the British in the Crimean War and the Union in the Civil War, using shells filled with chlorine gas. The first major use of these agents came on April 22, 1915 at the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. The Germans opened up 168 tons of chlorine gas on the French, Canadian and British troops which created a wind-borne cloud of chemical gas that opened up a breach in the lines. However, the Germans were not prepared to exploit the opening. In 1917 the Germans also introduced the agent phosgene. By then both sides had mastered the techniques of new choking agents such as diphosgene, chloropicrin, and perfluoroisobutene which allowed numerous attacks to be made. By the end of World War I phosgene was responsible for roughly 80% of all deaths related to chemical attacks.

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