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How the Shocking Use of Gas in World War I Led Nations to Ban It

Phosgene is an irritant that’s six times more deadly than chlorine. Instead of announcing its presence in a yellow-green cloud, phosgene is colorless and takes its time to kill. Victims don’t know they’ve been exposed until days after inhaling it, at which point their lungs fill with fluid and they suffocate. The Germans were the first to use phosgene in battle, but the Allies made it their primary chemical weapon later in the war.

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Articles of Interest

A Brief History of Chemical War

Phosgene, which smells like moldy hay, is also an irritant but six times more deadly than chlorine gas. Phosgene is also a much stealthier weapon: it’s colorless, and soldiers did not at first know they had received a fatal dose. After a day or two, victims’ lungs would fill with fluid, and they would slowly suffocate in an agonizing death.

Does Poison Gas Smell Good?

In general, “blister agents” like mustard gas smell pretty good. Another blister agent developed around the time of the First World War, lewisite, smells intensely of geraniums. A blister agent called phosgene oxime has an unpleasant, irritating smell—but with hints of freshly mown hay. The related diphosgene smells like anise.

The vestiges of chemical warfare

The core chemicals manufactured there were mustard gas (yperite), lewisite, phosgene and prussic acid.

What can chemical weapons do to you?

Because of phosgene’s speed, there isn’t an antidote yet. The best way to treat the effects of this chemical is just immediate decontamination: running away, washing thoroughly.

Why Chemical Weapons Are Different

Blistering skin, eye damage, and excruciating deaths were just some of the reasons nations decided to ban these substances after World War I.