Sneeze gases

German designation for irritating chemical agents (sneeze gases, sternutators). 

IrriiarU gases (sometimes called sneeze gases or stemutaiors) attack the nasal passages, causing nausea and headache of a few boura duration. They are never lethal in concentrations encountered in the field (see Chap. X). 

These are not nearly all the gases and poisons developed in the boisterous, vicious laboratory of the Great War. There were sneezing gases and... 

Nies-gas, n. (Mil.) sneeze gas. -kraut, n. sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica). -wurz, -wurzelj /.-hellebore. 

Reiz-gas, n. irritant gas, Mil.) tear gas or sneeze gas. -geschoss, n. irritant gas projectile. -gift, n. irritant poison, -kerze, /. Mil.) irritant candle, -korper, m. irritant substance, Mil.) lacrimator. reizloa, a. nonirritant, nonatimulating unattractive, insipid. 

Dlphenylamlnochlorarslne (DM) Is a canary-yellow crystalline solid (see Table 4-1). It Is Insoluble In water, but soluble In organic solvents It melts at 195°C and bolls at 410°C.S it was first prepared by Welland in Germany (1915) and independently (1918) by Adams in the United States. During and after World War I, it was known as Adamsite. Slm O described Its odor as that of burning fireworks. DM can be disseminated as an aerosol, either from pyrotechnic mixtures in grenades or bombs, sprayed as a solution, or dispersed as a dust. It has been described as an irritant smoke, a stemutator, and a "sneeze gas."... 

SYNS BLUE CROSS CLARK I DA DIPHENYL-ARSINOUS CHLORIDE DIPHENYLCHLOORARSINE (DUTCH) DIPHENYLCHLOROARSINE (DOT) SNEEZING GAS... 

The diagnosis is established on the basis of anamnesis showing strongly expressed presence in the air of sneezing gas, the leading sneezing syndrome combined with disorders of other organs and systems. 

Between 1927 and 1945, the Japanese Army operated a chemical warfare agent factory on Okuno-jima, an island of the Inland Sea (Wada et al, 1962 Watson et al., 1989 Yamakido et al., 1996). At peak capacity (1937), this facility produced sulfur mustard (450 tonnes/month), lewisite (50 tonnes/month), diphenylcyanarsine (sneezing gas, 50 tonnes/month), hydrocyanic acid (50 tonnes/month), chloroacetophenone (tear gas, 25 tonnes/month) and phosgene (unreported). After the war, the factory was closed and the remaining agents were disposed of at sea. 

It is of interest in connection with these arsenic compounds to mention one which was extensively used by the Germans in the Great War. It was known as blue cross or sneeze gas it has the formula (C6H5)2AsCl and is diphenyl-chloroarsine. It was prepared in large quantities through the use of Bart s reaction, which has been mentioned above. 

Because DA and related compounds cause intense effects on the nasal and upper respiratory passages, they are referred to as "sneeze gas" (sternutators). Like other arsenicals, DA is a white solid and was originally produced as both a casualty gas and a mask breaker during World War I. 

Carbon monoxide poisoning is particularly insidious. An individual exposed to carbon monoxide is usually unaware of it because this gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Furthermore, it does not elicit any irritant reflexes that result in sneezing, coughing, or feelings of dyspnea (difficulty in breathing). Finally, carbon monoxide does not stimulate ventilation. As will be discussed in a subsequent section, the peripheral chemoreceptors are sensitive to decreases in P02, not oxygen content. 

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