Mustard gas shells

Wulf, H.C., A. Aasted, E. Darre and E. Niebuhr. 1985. Sister chromatid exchanges in fishermen exposed to leaking mustard gas shells. The Lancet, March 25, 1985, pp. 690-691. 

Altogether about 10,000,000 artiileiy shell were filled with imu[Pg.271]

Heully F, Gnininger M. Collective intoxication caused by the explosion of a mustard gas shell. Atm. Med. Legal. 1956 36 195-204. 

Merriweather, J. 2004. How mustard gas shells are destroyed Army to demolish ordnance found in Sussex driveway. DelawareOnline The News Journal, October 7. Article ID wil2004100709090238. 

This defensive work included improvements to many First World War weapons, including gas shells, mortar bombs, the Livens Projector and toxic smoke generators and the development of apparatus for mustard gas spray from aircraft, bombs of many types, airburst mustard gas shell, gas grenades and weapons for attacking tanks . The various inventions were tested in north Wales, Scotland, and in installations scattered throughout the Empire, notably northern India, Australia and the Middle East. 

Often anecdotal evidence is received by a state s environmental office. Nevertheless, the military will not normally accept the statements of a retired employee or resident that an event requiring remediation occurred years ago. This is a good place to use archival research. For example, in February 1993 a phone call was made by a Mr. Ian MacFee to the District of Columbia alleging that the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) buried French 75-mm mustard gas shells in 14 pits in the District of Columbia. The caller stated that he worked for a Ft. Wray Noel. 

The Mayor s Office of Constituent Services received a phone call in 1993 from an Ian MacFee indicating that he participated in the burial of 14 pits of mustard gas shells at the AUES while working for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), presumably in the 1930s. MacFee made this call while he was waiting for an airplane to take him to Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was moving. 

Historical Survey 2006, p. 227 ako Porton Report No. 2343, Medical Report on Casualties Produced by Airburst Mustard Gas Shell , 10 March 1942. 

The uneasy situation in Europe also helped modify the restrictions imposed upon the CWS. Two years before the outbreak of war the service began work on a mustard gas shell filling plant at Edgewood Arsenal, Md. 

Mustard gas shelling was much more effective as a means of producing large numbers of live casualties. In terms of harrassing the enemy, this was valuable as every casualty tied up manpower, time and resources. The persistency of mustard and the need to cover the whole body made protection against mustard particularly difficult. It was with mustard and their new arsenical compounds that the Allies expected to achieve a breakthrough in 1919, had the war continued. " ... 

Corps (CCC) buried French 75-nmi mustard gas shells in 14 pits in the District of Columbia. The caller stated that he worked for a Lt. Wray Noel. 

Detonating the munitions underwater significantly reduces the noise. It also leads to a more complete destruction of the explosive because the water pressure confines the initiating blast. It is noted below that the French would pile the mustard (gas) shells on a tidal flat with the explosives on top, wait for the tide to come in and then... 

Explosion of US liberty ship carrying mustard gas shells in Bari harbour, Italy... 

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