© ilginc10.comMustard gas, one of 70 stockpiled compounds known as Lethal Unitary Chemical Agents and Munitions
U.S. military officials in Iraq have issued preliminary confirmation that Islamic State militants
used mustard gas in a mortar attack on Kurdish forces in August, a Defense Department official said.
After an Aug. 11 attack that reportedly sickened dozens of Kurdish troops, the Kurds provided U.S. officials with
fragments of shells that later tested positive for the presence of "HD, or what is known as sulfur mustard," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Killea, chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
The attack occurred in the
town of Makhmour in northern Iraq near the front lines of the Kurdish forces' fight against the Islamic State, according to Killea, who briefed reporters at the Pentagon on Friday. Killea cautioned that this was a
"presumptive field test," and further analysis is needed to possibly determine the source of the chemical weapon.
Both Iraq and Syria have in the past maintained stockpiles of chemical weapons, and U.S. officials say it is unclear whether the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, has seized any of those weapons.
The HD strain of mustard is listed as
a "Schedule I" chemical weapon and is strictly banned under the international treaty known as the Chemical Weapons Convention. When sprayed or released from artillery shells,
mustard agents blister skin and can damage lungs if inhaled.Killea said
the potential confirmation of the Islamic State's use of chemical weapons will not necessarily have any impact on U.S. policy."We really don't need another reason to hunt down ISIL and kill them wherever we can and whenever we can," he said.
"Any indication of the use of a chemical warfare agent, purely from our perspective, reinforces our position that this is an abhorrent group that will kill indiscriminately without any moral or legal code or restraint."
Comment: The Facts About Mustard Gas
- IUPAC Name: bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide or 1,5-dichloro-3-thiapentane
- Called H, HD, and HT by the military
- Other names are yprite, sulfur mustard, and Kampfstoff Lost
- Molar Mass: 159.08 g/mol
- Density: 1.27 g/ml
- Standard State: liquid
- Melting point: 14.4 °C
- Boiling point: 217 °C
- Flash point: 105 °C
- Strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic
- Orignially called LOST
- Mass produced for German army in 1916
- Prohibited by the 1925 Geneva Protocol
- First used in warfare near Ypres, France in July 12, 1917
- Mustard gas is actually a clear liquid in pure form
- Death may occur days after an exposure
According to toxicologists, chemical agents such as mustard gas (classification: Vesicant/Blister), further disbursed by the wind, leave residue in plants, water and soil. Without preventative measures, exposure causes blindness and/or death. Mustard gas damages skin and respiratory systems exhibiting severe eye and mucosal pain and irritation, skin erythema with large fluid blisters that heat slowly and become infected, tearing, conjunctivitis, corneal damage, respiratory distress and airway damage. It is considered "persistent" (remains active in environment) and a "contact hazard." Chemical weapons are considered an ideal choice. They are cheap, accessible, easy to transport and can readily be synthesized if precursors are available.
Comment:
The Facts About Mustard Gas