Iraqi unit with U.S., Australian advisers hit by ISIS mustard agent

[applegrove]

Iraqi unit with U.S., Australian advisers hit by ISIS mustard agent

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraqi-unit-with-us-australian-advisers-hit-by-isis-mustard-agent/

"SNIP........



WASHINGTON -- An Iraqi unit with U.S. and Australian advisers was hit by an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) mustard agent, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

Twenty-five Iraqis required treatment but none of the advisers were injured Sunday, Martin reports.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told the Associated Press that six soldiers suffered breathing problems from Sunday’s attack and were treated in a field clinic. An investigation was then launched to determine what type of gas was used.

Thousands flee western Mosul as Iraqi forces target ISIS
The attack marked the second chemical attack of its kind in several days. It occurred one day after an Iraqi military officer said ISIS militants launched a gas attack in the al-Abar neighborhood in western Mosul.



.......SNIP"

[democrank]

1. Really disturbing

Second chemical attack in several days.

[The99thTimeLord]

2. I know a little about saran gas but not much about mustard gas

Is it a nervous system gas that pretty much kills those who inhale it?

[applegrove]

3. It disables people for the rest of their lives is all I know. That is if it doesn't kill.

I'm guessing it messes with the lungs. A great great uncle got gassed in WWI. He died 25 years later having lived in a veterans hospital for a while.

[Gravitycollapse]

4. Mustard agents are not nerve agents.

They are chemical blister agents. Their effects are not as severe as nerve agents but they can still produce severe burns in the eyes, on the skin, and in the lungs.

[sarisataka]

5. Mustard gas is a blister agent

It causes chemical burns on exposed skin and mucous membranes. Symptoms are often delayed so the true effect is not immediately known. It is a very persistent agent and can remain active for several weeks in a contaminated area.

Deaths usually come from damage to the lungs. Blisters will form and burst, filling the lungs with fluid. Secondary infections are also a major cause of death. Recovery is much longer than most other chemical agents.

Long term effects can include scarring, increased cancer risk and genetic mutation.