Mustard gas experiments of WWII

Injury depended on type of tests (gas chamber, field test with aerial spray) and duration of exposure: “Some men developed severe eye injuries and damage to lungs. Most frequently, men had burns and blistering on the skin, which sometimes left scars.” Blisters usually occurred when men sweated, “especially the face, hands, underarms, buttocks, and genitals” (S. Smith [II], loc 922). Many of the men in mustard gas experiments in U.S. and Canada “were in agony for days, weeks, and even months. Soldiers needed time to recover not only from the blisters and oozing sores on their bodies, but also from systemic poisoning” (loc 943).