Mustard gas, also known as sulfur mustard, is a chemical weapon. It inflicts severe, delayed damage throughout the body, leading to organ failure and death.
Understanding Mustard Gas
Sulfur mustard is an oily liquid that readily forms a vapor. Pure, it is colorless; weaponized, it appears yellow-brown. It has a faint odor resembling garlic or mustard, leading to its common name. As a lipophilic chemical, it dissolves in fats and organic solvents, penetrating biological membranes.
It is stable and persists in the environment, particularly in colder conditions. Exposure occurs via vapor inhalation, direct skin/eye contact, or contaminated food/water. It penetrates most clothing, reaching the skin beneath. Symptoms are delayed, often appearing hours after exposure.
Mechanism of Cellular Destruction
Mustard gas is a potent alkylating agent, adding alkyl groups to cellular molecules. It targets and damages DNA and proteins. It attaches to guanine (a DNA building block), forming cross-links between DNA strands. These modifications disrupt DNA structure and function.
DNA damage profoundly disrupts cellular processes, especially cell division. Rapidly dividing cells (bone marrow, GI tract lining, skin) are especially vulnerable. Severely damaged cells cannot replicate or function correctly. This dysfunction activates programmed cell death (apoptosis) or uncontrolled cell death (necrosis).
Systemic Effects and Organ Failure
Mustard gas causes severe, widespread effects across multiple organ systems. In the respiratory system, inhalation leads to bleeding, blistering, and inflammation of airways and lungs. Fluid accumulation causes pulmonary edema and obstructs air passages, leading to breathing difficulty, hoarseness, and persistent coughing. Prolonged exposure predisposes individuals to chronic respiratory diseases and secondary infections.
On the skin, mustard gas acts as a vesicant, causing intense itching and irritation, followed by large, painful fluid-filled blisters. These chemical burns create extensive open wounds susceptible to bacterial infections. Eyes are extremely sensitive, experiencing severe irritation, pain, excessive tearing, and eyelid swelling. Corneal damage can lead to temporary or permanent blindness.
Mustard gas impacts internal defenses. It suppresses bone marrow activity, reducing blood cell production. This reduces white blood cells (leukopenia), severely impairing the immune system’s ability to fight infection. The gastrointestinal tract also suffers damage, causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, hindering nutrient absorption and contributing to distress.
Path to Death
Systemic damage culminates in life-threatening conditions. Severe respiratory failure is a primary cause of fatality, as lung damage, fluid buildup, and airway obstruction prevent adequate blood oxygenation. Fibrin casts in airways further impede breathing, leading to acute respiratory distress and inability to sustain life.
An impaired immune system, weakened by bone marrow suppression, leaves victims vulnerable to overwhelming infections. Common bacteria can lead to severe pneumonia or sepsis (a life-threatening systemic inflammatory response) that the compromised immune system cannot combat. These infections often become untreatable and spread rapidly.
Extensive skin burns and GI lining damage contribute to severe fluid and electrolyte imbalances. Fluid loss from blistering and impaired absorption can lead to dehydration and hypovolemic shock (insufficient blood flow to organs). Death often results from these factors, leading to progressive failure of multiple organ systems (respiratory, circulatory, immune). While immediate effects are agonizing, death is typically delayed, occurring days to weeks after exposure, depending on dose and care.