Crowd Control Agents

Abstract

Forms of chemical restraint were used as early as 423 BC in the Peloponnesian war. Modern chemical crowd control agents were first employed by the French in the early months of World War I when they launched tear gas grenades against the German army. In addition to chlorobenzylidene (tear gas), World War I also saw the introduction of chlorine gas and mustard gas. The Germans first used chlorine gas in the spring of 1915 against the French army at Ypres. The chlorine gas formed a cloud that was mistaken for a smoke screen behind which the German Army would advance. Instead of evacuating the area, the French Army entrenched, readying for an attack. Mustard gas was used in 1917 by the Germans against the French army Unlike chlorine, which wafted in a cloud described as a greenish yellow smoke, mustard gas was nearly odorless, and its effects took much longer to manifest. Chlorine is an immediate choking agent resulting in severe respiratory distress and death; the full effects of mustard gas take 12–24 hours. Any surface exposed to mustard gas is affected. Mucosal membranes such as those in the eye and respiratory tract, as well as the skin, develop blisters, slough, and can fully incapacitate the individual for long periods.