Chemical weapon | History, Facts, Types, & Effects | Britannica
In modern warfare, chemical weapons were first used in World War I (1914–18), during which gas warfare inflicted more than one million of the casualties suffered by combatants in that conflict and killed an estimated 90,000.
chemical warfare summary | Britannica
chemical warfare, Use of lethal or incapacitating chemical weapons in war, and the methods of combating such agents. Chemical weapons include choking agents such as the chlorine and phosgene gas employed first by the Germans and later by the Allies in World War I; blood agents such as hydrogen cyanide or cyanogen gas, which block red blood ...
Chemical weapon - WMD, Toxins, Agents | Britannica
Chemical weapon - WMD, Toxins, Agents: Chemical weapons did not become true weapons of mass destruction (WMD) until they were introduced in their modern form in World War I (1914–18). The German army initiated modern chemical warfare by launching a chlorine attack at Ypres, Belgium, on April 22, 1915, killing 5,000 French and Algerian troops ...
Chemical weapon - Banning, Prohibition, Conventions | Britannica
Chemical weapon - Banning, Prohibition, Conventions: During World War I, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia developed a wide array of chemical arms, including choking, blister, blood, and irritant agents. During World War II, Germany developed nerve agents such as toman, soman, and sarin. After World War II, the British invented VX ...
Chemical weapon - Defense, Protection, Prevention | Britannica
One response to the threat of a chemical weapons attack on civilian society has been the creation of active, well-trained emergency response teams that know how to identify chemical agents, decontaminate areas and people exposed to chemical weapons, and …
Biological weapon | Types, Effects & History | Britannica
Sep 30, 2024 · Biological weapons, like chemical weapons, radiological weapons, and nuclear weapons, are commonly referred to as weapons of mass destruction, although the term is not truly appropriate in the case of biological armaments.
chemical and biological warfare - Students - Britannica Kids
Chemical Weapons. There are four basic types of chemical weapons: choking agents, blistering agents, blood agents, and nerve agents. Choking agents burn or otherwise damage the respiratory system. Types of choking agents include chlorine and phosgene gases.
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) | Britannica
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), international treaty that bans the use of chemical weapons in war and prohibits all development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, or transfer of such weapons.
Geneva Gas Protocol | Definition, Purpose, & Limitations | Britannica
Geneva Gas Protocol, treaty signed in 1925 by most of the world’s countries banning the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare.
Nuclear weapon | History, Facts, Types, Countries, Blast Radius ...
Oct 12, 2024 · nuclear weapon, device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two processes. Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs.