PROPERTIES OF MUSTARD GAS USED BY IRAQ

File: cia_70552_60915_02.txt
Page: 02
Total Pages: 2
Subject: PROPERTIES OF MUSTARD GAS USED BY IRAQ  
Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence 
 
TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN 
REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN 
TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF 
THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON 
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CITE CIA 223708 
 
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
                                                                     
-- - - - - - - - - - - - 
                          1990 
 
COUNTRY: IRAQ/IRAN 
 
SUBJ: 1. PROPERTIES OF MUSTARD GAS USED BY IRAQ IN WAR WITH 
         IRAN 
 
2. ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF IRAQI 
 
THE IRAQI ARMY USED AN UNIDENTIFIED SILICA COMPOUND 
IMPREGNATED WITH MUSTARD GAS ON IRANIAN TROOPS.  THE IRAQI 
ARMY DELIVERED THE MUSTARD GAS IN              WHITE 
PHOSPHOROUS SHELLS.                          WHILE THE USE 
OF SILICA IN THE SHELLS REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF MUSTARD GAS 
THAT COULD BE LOADED INTO THE WARHEAD, IT ACTUALLY DECREASED 
THE EFFECTIVE DOSE RATE THEREBY INCREASING BY FIVE TIMES THE 
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MUSTARD GAS DELIVERED                                                                  
ALSO NOTICED THAT IRANIAN' SOLDIERS EXPOSED TO MUSTARD GAS 
SUFFERED UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNTS AND NUMBERS OF RESPIRATORY 
PROBLEMS FOLLOWING EXPOSURE WHILE DISPLAYING LESS THAN 
EXPECTED AMOUNTS OF BLISTERED SKIN DAMAGE. 
 
2  GENERALLY, VICTIMS OF MUSTARD GAS HAVE BLISTERING ON 
THEIR EXTERIOR SKIN WITH LITTLE BLISTERING IN THE LUNGS. 
HOWEVER, WITH THE IRANIANS, RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS WERE 
MORE NOTICEABLE THAN SKIN PROBLEMS, WHICH INDICATES STRONGLY 
THAT THE SILICA SERVES AS A CARRIER TO FACILITATE THE 
INHALING OF THE MUSTARD GAS.  TESTS INDICATE THAT SILICA 
IMPREGNATED WITH MUSTARD GAS AT THE CRITICAL DIAMETER OF 
THREE-TO-FIVE MICRONS PRODUCES SEVERE BLISTERING 
TO THE ENTIRE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.  TESTS ALSO INDICATE THAT 
PARTICLES WITH DIAMETERS LARGER THAN FIVE MICRONS WOULD 
BECOME CLOGGED IN THE NOSE AND THROAT AND PARTICLES WITH 
DIAMETERS SMALLER THAN THREE MICRONS WOULD BE INHALED AND 
EXHALED WITHOUT ATTACHING THEMSELVES TO THE WALLS OF THE 
LUNGS.)