Chemical warfare facts for kids
Chemical warfare is a type of fighting where harmful chemical compounds are used. These chemicals are designed to hurt or kill people during a war. They are very poisonous.
People have used chemical warfare since the Stone Age. However, since 1899, many international laws have made using chemical weapons illegal. Even so, these weapons have still been used in wars.
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What are Chemical Weapons?
Chemical weapons are different from regular weapons like bombs. They are also different from nuclear weapons. Chemical weapons do not explode with a big blast. Instead, they poison people.
Some chemical weapons are meant to kill. Others are used to "incapacitate" people. This means they make people unable to fight back. They do this by causing pain, injuries, or sickness.
Using living organisms, like anthrax bacteria, to make people sick is not chemical warfare. That is called biological warfare.
However, some living organisms make toxins. Toxins are poisons that are not alive themselves. For example, botulinum toxin comes from a bacteria. Ricin comes from the castor oil plant. Since these toxins are not alive, using them in war is considered chemical warfare. This is explained in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC says that any toxic chemical is a chemical weapon unless it is used for legal reasons.
About 70 different chemicals have been used or saved up (stockpiled) as chemical warfare agents. The Chemical Weapons Convention says that all these chemicals should be destroyed.
History of Chemical Warfare
Simple forms of chemical warfare have been used for thousands of years. But "modern" chemical warfare really began during World War I. You can learn more about this on the page Chemical weapons in World War I.
Since World War I, countries have tried to research and make chemical weapons. They have had four main goals:
- To make new, more deadly types of chemical weapons.
- To find ways to deliver chemical weapons that would hurt or kill more people.
- To create better ways to protect against chemical weapons.
- To find better ways to detect chemical weapons (to know if they are nearby).
Early History
Chemical warfare was first used during the Stone Age. Back then, people used poisoned arrows and spear-tips. They dipped these in poisons, like venom from snakes or scorpions. Sometimes they used poisonous plants.
The Ancient Chinese used different kinds of poisonous smokes. They used these when they besieged a city to try and take it over.
The Ancient Greeks used a mix of burning wood, plant pitch, and sulphur.
World War I
Main article: Chemical weapons in World War I
Poison gas was first used in World War I. France was the first country to make this type of gas. However, Germany was the first to use it in battle. This happened on March 15, 1915. On that day, Germany used tear gas against France.
Three main types of gas were used in World War I:
- Chlorine gas (tear gas): Tear gas makes people cough and have trouble breathing. It can also make people go blind until the gas wears off.
- Phosgene gas: Phosgene caused people to cough and choke much worse than tear gas. It was a very deadly chemical weapon. Historians believe about 100,000 people died in World War I from chemical weapons. They think 85% of these deaths (85,000 people) were caused by phosgene.
- Mustard gas: Mustard gas was very hard to protect against. It caused very bad, painful sores on the outside and inside of the body.
At first, very simple ways of spreading these gases were used. Even so, many soldiers were hurt or killed. This was partly because World War I was fought using trench warfare. Many soldiers would be in the same place, making it very hard to escape poisonous gases.
Germany was the first country in World War I to use chemical warfare in battle. They simply opened containers of chlorine gas. They did this upwind of enemy soldiers, so the wind would carry the gas to their enemies.
Soon after, the French also started using chemical weapons. They filled artillery shells with phosgene. Then they fired these shells at the Germans. This was a much more effective way to use chemical weapons. It became the most common way to deliver chemical weapons during World War I.
Modern Use
Chemical weapons were not used very much in World War II. The main exception was by the Japanese army during their invasion of China. This was because everyone was afraid the other side would use similar weapons in return. Also, chemical weapons were not easy to use. They took time to prepare, which made it harder for soldiers to move quickly. The raw materials needed to make chemical weapons were also hard to get. This was because World War II was fought in areas not well connected by railroads.
During the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq used chemical weapons. Iran did not use them. Many people believe that Iraq also used chemical weapons against the Kurdish people.
The United States has used chemical weapons even after World War II. For example, the U.S. used Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
It has been reported that many other countries have chemical weapons. These include China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, and Serbia and Montenegro.
Laws About Chemical Weapons
According to international law, it is wrong to use chemical weapons. Since 1899, many rules have made it illegal to make, import, and use chemical weapons.
The first international law to make chemical warfare illegal was the Hague Convention in 1899.
After World War I, the Geneva Protocol of 1925 made it illegal to use chemical or biological weapons on people.
In 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was created. By the end of 2015, 192 countries had agreed to follow the CWC. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported that by October 2015, 90% of the world's chemical weapons stockpiles had been destroyed.
Types of Chemical Agents
The main types of chemicals used in warfare are:
- Nerve agents: These are very dangerous chemicals like sarin or VX.
- Mustard agents: These cause severe burns and blisters.
- Hydrogen cyanide-based agents: These stop the body from using oxygen.
- Arsines: An example is lewisite, which can cause blisters and lung damage.
- Toxins: These are poisons made by living things, like Botulinum toxin.
- Incapacitating agents: These chemicals make many people unable to fight back. They do not permanently hurt or kill them. Examples include:
Sometimes, chemicals like Agent Orange or glyphosate are used to destroy plants. If people are affected by these chemicals, it is a side effect. But we do not call this chemical warfare. Chemical warfare means direct attacks on human life.
Images for kids
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Fritz Haber is known as the "father of chemical warfare." He worked for years developing and using chlorine and other poisonous gases in World War I.
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Spreading of chlorine gas in World War I.
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An aerial photo of a German gas attack on Russian forces around 1916.
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An American-made MC-1 gas bomb.
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Soviet chemical weapons canisters from a stockpile in Albania.
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Israel Defense Forces "Yanshuf" battalion soldiers practicing chemical warfare defense.
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Members of the Ukrainian Army's 19th Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Battalion practicing a decontamination drill in Kuwait.
See also
In Spanish: Guerra química para niños
