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How effective a chemical agent is depends on many factors. Victims of different ages and in different states of health react to these weapons differently. Some weapons use chemicals that are more pure than others. Weather conditions, wind direction, and how the weapon is disseminated also affect how it is delivered and the impact that it has. Some chemical weapons take hours to be lethal, allowing victims a greater chance of survival if they receive proper treatment in a timely manner.

Many chemicals that are used to make these weapons and their precursors are used in many practical industrial applications. Some toxic chemicals can be used to prevent the multiplication of cells, for examples, or can be used as fumigants, herbicides or insecticides. Such chemicals are considered chemical weapons if they are produced and stockpiled in certain amounts. Nonetheless, this fact does present many potential difficulties where controlling these weapons are concerned.

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The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2017) lists the CW agent, its persistency, and its rate of action:

CW Agent Group Persistency Rate of Action

Choking agents    

     Chlorine (Cl) Low Variable

     Phosgene (PG) Low Delayed

     Diphosgene (DP) Low Delayed

     Chloropicrin (PS) Low Delayed

Blister Agents    

     Sulfur mustard (H, HD) Very high Delayed

     Nitrogen mustard (HN) High Delayed

Phosgene oxime (CX) Low Immediate

 

Chemical Agent Effects

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