Chemical warfare and medical response during World War I.
The first large-scale use of a traditional weapon of mass destruction (chemical, biological, or nuclear) involved the successful deployment of chemical weapons during World War I (1914-1918). Historians now refer to the Great War as the chemist's war because of the scientific and engineering mobilization efforts by the major belligerents. The development, production, and deployment of war gases such as chlorine, phosgene, and mustard created a new and complex public health threat that endangered not only soldiers and civilians on the battlefield but also chemical workers on the home front involved in the large-scale manufacturing processes. The story of chemical weapons research and development during that war provides useful insights for current public health practitioners faced with a possible chemical weapons attack against civilian or military populations.
Fitzgerald
Gerard J
GJ
Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, New York University, 35 W 4th St, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10012, USA. gjf239@nyu.edu
D002618:Chemical Warfare; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D004189:Disaster Planning; D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices; D054044:Weapons of Mass Destruction; D047828:World War I
D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents