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From Weapon to Wonder Drug

Despite its sinister history, mustard gas has played a key role in the development of anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents and may justly be referred to as the egg from which medical oncology has hatched. The history of medicine contains many tales of accidental discovery, but how did a deadly gas become the first effective chemotherapeutic agent?

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 Forgotten Lessons: The Return of Mustard Gas

It is Iraq and Syria, however, that are responsible for the lion's share of poison gas use since the end of WWII.

 Mustard gas – from the Great War to frontline chemotherapy

In July 1917, troops based in Ypres, Belgium, reported a shimmering cloud around their feet and a strange peppery smell in the air. Within 24 hours they started to itch uncontrollably and developed horrific blisters and sores. Some started coughing up blood. They’d been poisoned by mustard gas – one of the most deadly chemical weapons deployed in battle.

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Harold Smith - The Lasting Effects of Mustard Gas

Even though the fighting had ended, soldiers and nurses suffered from the after effects of the War for years to come. Harold Smith of Saint Paul enlisted with the Canadian Forces prior to US entry into the War, claiming he was well and strong so it was his duty to go do his part. Smith was digging trenches on September 4th, 1917, under heavy shell fire from the Germans. In the middle of the night, the shell fire switched to mustard gas and a few of canisters landed in the trench that Smith was in, exposing him to the deadly gas before he was able to evacuate.

Mustard Gas

Mustard gas is the common name given to 1,1-thiobis(2-chloroethane), a chemical warfare agent that is believed to have first been used near Ypres in Flanders on 12th July 1917. Its chemical formula is Cl-CH2-CH2-S-CH2-CH2-Cl.

Slow Burn — 11 Terrifying Facts About Mustard Gas

TO THE MILLIONS OF MEN FIGHTING IN FLANDERS in 1917, it would have been hard to imagine how the hell of trench warfare could be made any worse. But worse it would get that year, thanks to the introduction of a new and particularly horrifying chemical weapon.

The Effects of Mustard Gas in Warfare

Mustard gas has a distinct smell, often described as a potent mixture of garlic, gasoline and rubber, making the presence of the vaporized gas extremely apparent. People can also release mustard gas into water, exposing unsuspecting people using water resources for drinking, cooking, cleaning and agriculture. Under average weather conditions, mustard gas may last one to two days. Cold weather conditions allow the liquid form to linger for several months. Additionally, when released into the air as a vapor, mustard gas can travel by wind for miles.

The History and Threat of Mustard Gas

Had it not been for mustard gas, which the Allies affectionately referred to as “Hot Stuff,” the war could have raged on for years. But the Allies were able to turn the Germans’ weapon against them, proving that if you’re willing to raise the stakes, you best be ready to play by the new rules you created. By the war’s end, up to 100,000 people had been killed and 1.3 million injured by chemical weapons. While 85% of these deaths were due to phosgene, mustard gas caused more casualties than any other chemical weapon used in the war.

The Irony of the SS John Harvey – Deadly Mustard Gas and Lifesaving Chemotherapy

The SS John Harvey was carrying a secret cargo of 2,000 M47A1 mustard gas bombs. The use of chemical weapons in war was banned by the Geneva Protocol of 1925. There was, however, no ban on their manufacture or transport. (That ban was not enacted until 1972.) The Allies were concerned that the Germans might use chemical weapons in World War II and wanted to be in a position to retaliate if such weapons were used against them.

The problems with mustard gas

With the arrival of mustard gas in July 1917, the medical services faced a new challenge. This was not the first time that poisonous gas had been used on the Western Front, but this one settled in the soil and could continue to contaminate for weeks. It also caused long-lasting effects for those who were unfortunate enough to encounter it.

Toxicology and pharmacology of the chemical warfare agent sulfur mustard

Mustard is a poisonous chemical agent that exerts a local action on the eyes, skin, and respiratory tissue, with subsequent systemic action on the nervous, cardiac, and digestive systems in humans and laboratory animals, causing lacrimation, malaise, anorexia, salivation, respiratory distress, vomiting, hyperexcitability, and cardiac distress.

War! What is it good for? Mustard gas medicine

The connection between chemical weapons and cancer treatment may seem surprising, even disturbing, to us. However, for the physician-researchers and medical scientists at the time, it was the logical outcome of their wartime research on mustard gas.

Resources

CDC

Sulfur mustard is a type of chemical warfare agent. These kinds of agents cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact. They are called vesicants or blistering agents.

Council on Foreign Relations

Mustard gas is a blister agent, which limits its appeal as a weapon because it is less likely to prove deadly than nerve agents like sarin and VX. But depending on the level of exposure, mustard gas can also leave victims with more lasting injuries.

WHO

No prophylactic treatment against mustard gas is available, prophylaxis depending entirely on the protection of skin and airways by adequate protective garments. Treatment is symptomatic as there is no antidote for mustard poisoning.