Chemical weapons are developed by governments for wartime use and include
Toxic agents (intended to cause serious injury or death)
Incapacitating agents (intended to cause only temporary, non–life-threatening effects)
Incendiary agents (intended to produce light and flame)
Toxic industrial chemicals, as produced for industry, are also capable of causing mass casualties. Some chemicals (such as chlorine, phosgene, and cyanide compounds) have both industrial and chemical warfare uses.
Toxic agents are divided into four major classes:
Systemic asphyxiants (blood agents)
Incapacitating agents are divided into
Riot-control agents (often incorrectly called tear gas) dispersed as solid aerosols or as solutions
In high doses, incapacitating agents can cause serious injury or death.
Incendiary agents, designed to create light and flame, may also cause burns in large numbers of casualties.
In addition to their chemical names and common names, most chemical warfare agents also have a one- to three-letter North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) code. For example, chloroacetophenone is a form of tear gas that is marketed as Mace® and has the code CN.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army, Department of Defense, or the US Government.
