rdfs:comment
| - Mustard gas was a type of non-lethal chemical weapon that worked by irritating the victim's eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It was used extensively in World War I, and its distinctive yellow appearance was used to terrify enemy troops. After experiencing a green cloud of gas at the Zealot compound, Jack Bauer considered mustard gas as an explanation but dismissed it as he felt no symptoms. (Head Shot)
- We had been stuck in the grind for seven of those weeks. Each morning thirty men would pray to themselves, or grab a smoke, maybe write a will, if they hadn’t already. At dawn, they would line up, and our only remaining officer, Sgt. Burns, would shake each of their hands. Then he would blow a whistle, and they would run straight into Prussian bullets. I had played cards with him, once. Funny, all the people that had been at the game of poker had died. Was it me? Maybe, doesn’t matter now. The wind was blowing towards us. He’s still with me today.
- Most usages of mustard gas were outlawed by the Geneva Protocol of 1925 after World War I. Nonetheless, Italy made substantial use of it during its invasion of Ethiopia, and Japan (which was not a Geneva signatory) used it without restrictions during its war with China. However, in the European theater of World War II, the various participants stood by the Geneva Protocol, and mustard gas was used only in a handful of isolated accidents.
- The compound readily eliminates a chloride ion by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution to form a cyclic sulfonium ion. This very reactive intermediate tends to permanently alkylate the guanine nucleotide in DNA strands, which prevents cellular division and generally leads directly to programmed cell death, or, if cell death is not immediate, the damaged DNA may lead to the development of cancer. Oxidative stress would be another pathology involved in sulfur mustard toxicity. Sulfur mustard is not very soluble in water but is very soluble in fat, contributing to its rapid absorption into the skin.
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abstract
| - We had been stuck in the grind for seven of those weeks. Each morning thirty men would pray to themselves, or grab a smoke, maybe write a will, if they hadn’t already. At dawn, they would line up, and our only remaining officer, Sgt. Burns, would shake each of their hands. Then he would blow a whistle, and they would run straight into Prussian bullets. Most got cut down right away, died quickly. Others, however, would remain unscathed until some random piece of shrapnel hit them through the guts. Those poor boys just had to lie there, watching their life seep out of them. Most swore at first, then they started calling for a medic. Most knew one would not come. This quickly deteriorates into sobbing for mothers, sisters, lovers. Some of the bolder ones call for a bullet, we try our best to oblige them, but that can’t always be done. One poor boy jumped straight into barbed wire, avoiding a grenade. Cut himself up pretty bad, not enough to tear up something really important, but there was a lot of blood. It was slow. Three days, that was the count. He had some food, and there was a large puddle nearby. He asked for a bullet a few times. One of the rifleman, I think it was Ed, try to help him out, but started crying as he looked down the sights. He broke down, couldn’t take the shot. I pulled out my side arm and tried to throw it to the kid. Took him an hour to crawl to it, but he was able to what needed to be done. I had played cards with him, once. Funny, all the people that had been at the game of poker had died. Was it me? Maybe, doesn’t matter now. Anyway, it was like that for a couple of weeks. We started to run out of people to throw into the slaughter. We had an old man and two kids who had to be fifteen about to go over the wall when Burns got the radio call. There was artillery, aid from the United States. We pulled out a bottle of wine, some vintage we took from the Austro-Hungarians that had occupied the trenches before us. Those of us that were left enjoyed it. We all drank until we passed out. Sleep was hard, this was easier. I woke the next morning to the sound of artillery. “The Americans are here!” I had said. “We’re going home!” I had said. I went around and roused those around me. Burns was already up, rubbing his temples. I cracked a joke about a hang over, and he turned to look at me. “Mustard gas.” That was all that he had said. That and; “Do we have gas masks?” I looked around. “No.” Burns pulled out a cigarette, lit up, took a drag, and passed it to me. I took a long draw, savoring the warmth. We watched the shells arc over our heads, and explode over at the enemy line. There was a lot of noise, from the other camp. Yelling at first, and then screaming. I don’t know if it was that, the general, pervasive stench of death in the trenches, or just my hang over, but I found myself incredibly nauseous. I ran and retched into the latrines, a couple yards back from the line. I pulled myself together, and that was when I noticed it. The wind was blowing towards us. I ran. I got far. I went home with a medal for my “Honor”. Those poor boys went over that wall every morning, knowing they were going to die. They had Honor. They had Courage. I just happened to be far enough from the line to retreat far enough away. The last I saw, Burns was throwing the smaller boys over barbed wire fences, urging them away from the cloud moving ever closer. He died there, trying to get those kids to safety. He is listed as a casualty. He died in combat, due to a mistake made by American artillery. He was given no honors. That is my monster. That is what stalks me in the night. War is a monster, and if you have ever see him, he will never go away. He’s still with me today.
- Most usages of mustard gas were outlawed by the Geneva Protocol of 1925 after World War I. Nonetheless, Italy made substantial use of it during its invasion of Ethiopia, and Japan (which was not a Geneva signatory) used it without restrictions during its war with China. However, in the European theater of World War II, the various participants stood by the Geneva Protocol, and mustard gas was used only in a handful of isolated accidents. Mustard agents are regulated under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Three classes of chemicals are monitored under this Convention, with sulfur and nitrogen mustard grouped in Schedule 1, as substances with no use other than chemical warfare.
- The compound readily eliminates a chloride ion by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution to form a cyclic sulfonium ion. This very reactive intermediate tends to permanently alkylate the guanine nucleotide in DNA strands, which prevents cellular division and generally leads directly to programmed cell death, or, if cell death is not immediate, the damaged DNA may lead to the development of cancer. Oxidative stress would be another pathology involved in sulfur mustard toxicity. Sulfur mustard is not very soluble in water but is very soluble in fat, contributing to its rapid absorption into the skin. Mustard gas (bis(chloroethyl) thioether) alkylating a DNA amine base. In the wider sense, compounds with the structural element BCH2CH2X, where X is any leaving group and B is a Lewis base are known as mustards. Such compounds can form cyclic "onium" ions (sulfonium, ammoniums, etc.) that are good alkylating agents. Examples are bis(2-chloroethyl)ether, the (2-haloethyl)amines (nitrogen mustards), and sulfur sesquimustard, which has two α-chloroethyl thioether groups (ClH2C-CH2-S-) connected by an ethylene (-CH2CH2-) group.[citation needed] These compounds have a similar ability to alkylate DNA, but their physical properties, e.g. melting point, vary. Mustard gas has extremely powerful vesicant effects on its victims. In addition, it is strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic, due to its alkylating properties. It is also lipophilic. Because people exposed to mustard gas rarely suffer immediate symptoms, and mustard-contaminated areas may appear completely normal, victims can unknowingly receive high dosages. Within 24 hours of exposure to mustard agent, victims experience intense itching and skin irritation, which gradually turns into large blisters filled with yellow fluid wherever the mustard agent contacted the skin. These are chemical burns and are very debilitating. Mustard gas vapour easily penetrates clothing fabrics such as wool or cotton, so it is not only the exposed skin of victims that gets burned. If the victim's eyes were exposed then they become sore, starting with conjunctivitis, after which the eyelids swell, resulting in temporary blindness.
- Mustard gas was a type of non-lethal chemical weapon that worked by irritating the victim's eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It was used extensively in World War I, and its distinctive yellow appearance was used to terrify enemy troops. After experiencing a green cloud of gas at the Zealot compound, Jack Bauer considered mustard gas as an explanation but dismissed it as he felt no symptoms. (Head Shot)
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