Skin warfare agent
A class of chemical weapons is called skin warfare agents .
These are mostly chemically highly reactive compounds, with whose contact there is severe burns to the skin , some substances also inhibit cell division . In contrast to other warfare agent classes, skin warfare agents should not kill the enemy immediately, but make them incapable of fighting and in need of treatment. Nevertheless, many of the soldiers affected died in the First World War . The purpose of this long suffering is to tie up as much of the enemy's infrastructure as possible with the care of the injured. Furthermore, the sight of the suffering comrades has a negative influence on the will to fight and the morale of the troops. Well-known skin warfare agents are mustard gas ( mustard ) and lewisite .
The cell division inhibiting effect of the skin warfare agent standard sulfur mustard (mustard gas) was used to develop the first cytostatics after the First World War . Examples of successful mustard-based cancer drugs are cyclophosphamide , ifosfamide and chlorambucil .