This toxic agent was also used on a large scale as a chemical weapon by Iraqi troops against the Iranian military and civil targets during the Iran-Iraq conflict in the past decade. It produced the largest casualtiesamong all the chemical warfare deployed during the conflict. Mustard gas causes wide-ranging injuries shortly after penetration through the skin, contact with respiratory tract, absorption from mucous membranes and conjunctive, and also after ingestion of contaminated food. The immediate organs affected after exposure are skin, eyes, and lungs. Mustards are generally tissue irritants with additional systemic effects.
Skin contact results in blistering of the affected area which is more severe in moist areas.
Contact with the eyes causes severe conjunctivitis and sometimes temporary loss of vision. Damage to the mucosal surface increases the chance of microbial infection and chronic bronchial disease. Burns caused by mustards are severe and associated with a protracted healing process. At supra-lethal doses, mustard produces acute toxic effects on the central nervous system that leads to convulsion and rapid death. There are numerous reports on chronic injuries to the skin, eye and respiratory system.