Ten years ago the Kurdish village of Halabja was attacked with mustard gas and a nerve agent by Iraqi government troops because the village supported Kurdish autonomy. Five thousand men, women, and children died immediately. The effects of mustard gas exposure include the reddening and blistering of skin, and, if inhaled, will also cause blistering to the lining of the lungs, causing chronic impairment, or at worst, death. Exposure to high concentrations will attack the corneas of the eyes, eventually rendering the victim blind
And here is a lovely taste of the effects of biological weapons Saddaam might use.
How does VX compare to sarin gas or mustard gas? Since VX and sarin are both nerve agents, they have similar effects on the body. But VX is about a hundred times more deadly than sarin when absorbed through the skin and about twice as deadly when inhaled. Moreover, sarin is volatile, evaporates at about the same rate as water, and is deadliest when inhaled, while VX is oil-based, extremely adhesive, and long lasting.
Owen Bowcott
Wednesday November 13, 2002The Guardian
Iraq is understood to have ordered about a million doses of anti-nerve agent drugs from Turkey
The first shipments of small pox vaccines were shipped out a few days ago to policeman and firemen in key American cities. Thank God.
I want my children to live in as safe a world as possible. Previous gernerations paid the ultimate price in WWII and made it easy for us to have a comfy lifestyle without speaking German of Japanese for about 50 years. Now, they are our buddies. The problem wasn't with the people...it was with their leadership.
The same is true with the Iraqi people. Saddaam has got to go. We owe that to ourselves, our neighbors and our children. Evil must me faced. I have no doubt thta American will face that Evil as cautioously and wisely as possible.