Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Medical Aspects of Chemical WarfareUN monitors withdrew from the country.In 2002 both President George W Bush and BritishPrime Minister Tony Blair publicly warnedthe UN that Iraq had reinstated its weapons ofmass destruction program. The UN, however,was unconvinced of the charges and debated theneed for a new resolution concerning Iraq. In themeantime, the US Congress authorized PresidentBush to use force against Iraq if necessary. A largecoalition force assembled in Kuwait in preparationfor future military action. This force was wellequipped with the latest chemical defense equipment.Unable to obtain UN support for a military attack,the Unites States launched Operation Iraqi Freedomin 2003 with an unsuccessful attempt to eliminateSaddam Hussein. Allied troops then invaded Iraq, takinggreat precautions in case chemical weapons wereused against them. Although a few Scud missiles werelaunched against forces in Kuwait, none containedchemical agents. The occupation of Iraq was quicklyaccomplished without any known use of chemicalweapons. On May 1 President Bush publicly declaredthe end of hostilities; however, US casualties continuedto occur. At least one roadside attack involved thedetonation of a sarin-filled artillery projectile, but nocasualties resulted.Despite an extensive search, no large stockpiles ofchemical weapons were discovered in Iraq. Investigatorsdid find protective masks, nerve agent antidoteinjectors, decontamination kits, and protective clothing.Interviews with captured Iraqi scientists andother leaders indicated that the chemical weaponsprograms had been shut down prior to the invasion.Some commentators speculated that the Iraqis hadpurposely misled the world about their weapons ofmass destruction as a bluff to prevent military actionagainst them. Other reports indicated that some of thechemical weapons may have been shipped to Syria orother countries friendly to Iraq. Because the ChemicalWeapons Convention prohibited the use of tear gas incombat, world debate arose when US forces used teargas during security operations in Iraqi cities. However,the Chemical Weapons Convention allowed tear gasuse in domestic riot control, which is how the UnitedStates had used it.Iraqi insurgents stepped up terror attacks on thestreets of Taji, north of Baghdad, in February andMarch 2007. On February 21, 2007, insurgents usedconventional explosives to detonate a tanker carryingchlorine, creating a toxic cloud. Baghdad securityspokesperson General Qassim Atta reported fivedeaths from the blast and 148 casualties from the gas.The following day, suspected Sunni Arab insurgentsdetonated a car carrying an explosive device attachedto chlorine gas canisters on a road leading to Baghdad’sairport. The gas cloud killed two and left 33 othersfeeling ill. The chlorine gas cloud suggested newand coordinated tactics with unconventional weapons.A raid in Fallujah in late February 2007 revealed ahomegrown factory for car bombs and cylinders oftoxic chlorine gas and other chemicals. This discoverycaused the United States to fear future tactics withchlorine bombs, and fears were confirmed as additionalattacks involving three chlorine gas car bombswere carried out in western Iraq on March 16, 2007,killing two and injuring hundreds of Iraqi civilians.SummaryAlthough chemical warfare has not been repeated onthe scale that occurred during World War I, incidents ofchemical weapons used on the battlefield have continuedthroughout the 20th and into the 21st century, and thepotential for a major escalation remains. Terrorist attackswith chemical weapons are an even more likely scenario.To prevent such an event, US military forces must continueto learn about chemical warfare and how to accomplishtheir missions on chemical battlefields and chemicalterrorist fronts throughout the world. In the words ofGeneral Pershing, “we can never afford to neglect thequestion” 48(p77) of chemical preparedness again.References1. Department of the Army. NATO Handbook on the Medical Aspects of NBC Defensive Operations. AMedP-6, Part 3. Washington,DC: DA; 1996: Field Manual 8-9.2. Osius TG. The historic art of poisoning. Med Bull (Ann Arbor). 1957;23:111–116.3. Mayor A. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World.Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press; 2003.4. Smart JK. History of Chemical and Biological Warfare Fact Sheets. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md: US Army Chemicaland Biological Defense Command; 1996. Special Study 50.66