What is mustard gas

What is mustard gas? Many people will have this question. Ordinary people may rarely come into contact with mustard gas in their daily lives, but we must all pay great attention to it, because mustard gas is a highly toxic substance. It can exist in many forms, such as gas in the air, mist, liquid, etc. But no matter what form it exists in, it poses a considerable threat to our bodies, so we should try to avoid contact with the substance if we can.

Mustard gas can cause great harm to the human body in many ways. Simply put, if you come into contact with it, it may cause skin infection, damage to the eyes or digestive system, and may also cause systemic poisoning, and in severe cases even be life-threatening. Since mustard gas is such a harmful substance, let us take a brief look at it.

The scientific name of mustard gas is "dichlorodiethyl sulfide". (C2H4Cl)2S Pure mustard gas is a colorless, oily liquid with a faint garlic smell. Industrial products are yellow, brown to dark brown. The more impurities it contains, the darker the color. The purer the mustard gas, the less odor it has. Mustard gas is insoluble in water but easily soluble in carbon tetrachloride, ether, chloroform, gasoline, kerosene, ethanol and other substances. Mustard gas has strong permeability to the skin. Its droplets penetrate into the skin within 3 to 5 minutes and can be completely absorbed by the skin within 15 to 20 minutes. Mustard gas can also dissolve rubber, so protective clothing made of rubber cloth has a very limited useful life against mustard gas. Mustard gas kills people mainly by being absorbed through the skin in the form of liquid droplets. It can also kill people by being absorbed through the respiratory tract and skin in the form of gas or mist. Mustard gas has many effects on the human body, causing damage to the skin, eyes, respiratory tract and digestive tract, and can cause systemic poisoning through the above-mentioned pathways. The actual harm that mustard gas causes to humans is that it destroys tissue cells, causing them to become necrotic and ulcerated. Mustard gas poisoning is slow to heal and prone to infection. Mustard gas also disrupts the normal function of the central nervous system, causing nerve activity disorders, which can cause convulsions and paralysis.

Hazard category, route of entry, health hazards, mustard gas is a corrosive agent that affects the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. It can cause redness, swelling, blistering and even ulceration on the skin. Eye contact may cause conjunctivitis, corneal opacity or ulceration. Inhalation of vapor or mist can damage the upper respiratory tract, and high concentrations can cause lung damage. Severe damage manifests as necrotic inflammation of the throat, trachea, and bronchial mucosa. Symptoms of systemic poisoning include general discomfort, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, depression, drowsiness, central nervous system inhibition and parasympathetic nerve excitement. Severe poisoning can cause death.

Since mustard gas is such a harmful substance, we all need to be extra careful. If we have the opportunity to come into contact with it in our daily lives, we must pay great attention to it and pay attention to safety. It is imperative that preventive measures are taken and life safety is ensured before handling the incident.