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Definition: chemical warfare from Philip's Encyclopedia

Use of chemical weapons such as poison and nerve gases, defoliants and herbicides. Poison gas and mustard gas was used in World War 1. Chemical weapons were not used in World War 2, but the Germans developed a nerve gas. A defoliant, Agent Orange, was employed by the US in the Vietnam War. Although the use of chemical and biological weapons is prohibited by the Geneva Convention (1925), their production, possession and exchange are not. In 1990, the USA and Soviet Union agreed to reduce their stockpiles of chemical weapons by 80%. See also biological warfare

chemical warfare

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Use of gaseous, liquid, or solid substances intended to have a toxic effect on humans, animals, or plants. Together with biological warfare , its use was banned by the Geneva Protocol in 1925, and the United Nations, in 1989, also voted for a ban. In 1993 over 120 nations, including the USA and Russian Federation, signed a treaty outlawing the manufacture, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons. Types of chemical weapons Irritant gases may cause permanent injury or death. Examples include chlorine, phosgene (Cl 2 CO), and mustard gas (C 4 H 8 CI 2 S), used in World War I (1914–18) and allegedly by Soviet forces in Afghanistan, by Vietnamese forces in Laos, and by Iraq against Iran during their 1980–88 war. Tear gases , such as CS gas used in riot control, affect the lungs and eyes, causing temporary blindness. Nerve gases are organophosphorus compounds similar to insecticides, which are taken into the body through the skin and lungs and break down the action of the nervous system. …
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Full text Article poison gas

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
any of various gases sometimes used in warfare or riot control because of their poisonous or corrosive nature. These gases may be roughly grouped according to the portal of entry into the body and their physiological effects. Vesicants (blister gases) produce blisters on all body surfaces (see…
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Soldiers in gas masks during poison gas attack, World War I, United Kingdom, 20th century
Credit: Soldiers in gas masks during poison gas attack, World War I, United Kingdom, 20th century / De Agostini Picture Library / G. Nimatallah / The Bridgeman Art Library Description: Soldiers in gas masks during a poison gas attack. World War I, United Kingdom, 20th century. Copyright: Out of…
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Warning in British trench of imminent German poison gas attack, Western Front, 1915 (litho)
Artist: Villiers, Frederic (1851-1922) (after) Location: Private Collection Credit: Warning in British trench of imminent German poison gas attack, Western Front, 1915 (litho), Villiers, Frederic (1851-1922) (after) / Private Collection / Peter Newark Military Pictures / The Bridgeman Art Library…
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Full text Article poison gas

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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Full text Article poison gas

From The Macquarie Dictionary
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Full text Article poison gas

From Collins English Dictionary
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Full text Article poison gas

From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary
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Full text Article poison gas

From Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary
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Full text Article poison gas

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
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WWI German gunners load poison gas shell wearing gas masks on the Western Front, 1917 (b/w photo)
Artist: German Photographer (20th Century) Location: Private Collection Credit: WWI German gunners load poison gas shell wearing gas masks on the Western Front, 1917 (b/w photo), German Photographer (20th Century) / Private Collection / Peter Newark Pictures / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 1917…
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