Chemicals come in many shapes and sizes, they can be in the form of a gas, liquid, sprays and powders. The chemical can be colourless, odourless and tasteless which makes it hard for a person to know what is going on until it is too late. Some chemical agents are not deadly like tear gas which only causes a person to start coughing, crying and unable to breath until they catch a fresh breeze. This gas has been used frequently by police to stop riots. But other chemicals can be fatal just in one breath.
History of Biological and Chemical Weapons.
Biological and chemical arsenals are not a new tactic to war. Humans had developed primitive forms of biological warfare for thousands of years. In Medieval times, corpses were catapulted into an enemy's fortress. The body would be infected with a deadly disease that would spread with the enclosed walls of the castle. This tactic was used by the Romans. Disease infected bodies were also put into streams near the enemies castle. This would make the enemies water supply infested with deadly micro organisms. The oldest record use of germ warfare dates back to 600 BC, when the Athenians used hellebores (skunk cabbage) to contaminate the River Plieisthines. The defenders of Kurha suffered violent diarrhea that led to their defeat. The first use of poisonous gas was in the Peloponnesian war between 431- 404 BC. The Spartans would burn wood that was saturated with pitch and sulphur, to release a sulphur dioxide gas. In 200 BC, a Carthaginian general ordered his soldiers to retreat and leave behind wine poisoned with mandragora. Mandragora is a narcotic which makes a person fall asleep. The enemy soldiers drank the wine, and while they were sleeping the Carthaginian soldiers slaughtered them. The Britains covered North American Indians with blankets that were infected with small pox. .
In World War 1, biological and chemical arsenals started to be used in large scale attacks.