Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Thursday, September 28
    Trending
    • This Day in History on September 28th
    • History Short: Are Pro Sports Rigged?
    • A Table of Biographies of Roman Emperors and Usurpers
    • This Day in History on September 27th
    • History Short: What Started the Environmental Movement?
    • September 28, 2023: Your Chance to Preview The Burial
    • This Day in History on September 26th
    • History Short: How Long can a Win Streak Get?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History (articles)
      • This Day in History (categories)
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»June 28, 1987: First Use of Chemical Weapons Against Civilians
    Crime

    June 28, 1987: First Use of Chemical Weapons Against Civilians

    Major DanBy Major DanJune 28, 2016Updated:April 15, 202030 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On June 28, 1987, Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Air Force became the first military force in history to purposely target civilians with chemical weapons when they attacked the town of Sardasht, Iran with “mustard” gas.

    Digging Deeper

    Iraq was at war with Iran at the time, a particularly nasty affair.  Additionally, the people of Sardasht (perhaps 20,000) were Kurds, an ethnic group that also lives in Iraq and Turkey and has been clamoring for an independent country of their own.  Thus, the ruthless regime of Saddam Hussein could kill 2 birds with 1 stone so to speak, by attacking the Kurds.

    When the bombs fell on 4 residential neighborhoods, they did not explode like normal bombs, at first making the people think they were duds.  Then the mustard gas issued forth upon the unprepared and unsuspecting population.  About 8000 people were exposed, and about 4500 of those needed treatment for chemical burns and injured lungs.

    The so called mustard gas is what is called a blistering agent, leaving large blisters on the skin and terribly irritating body openings such as ear, nose, throat and eyes, but especially lungs.  A victim that gets heavy exposure to the agent may drown in his own bodily fluids as his lungs blister.  Additionally, although only about  5% or can be expected to die, the rest of the people may well become ill enough to be disabled temporarily or their health may be impaired for the rest of their lives.

    The gas is a compound of disulfer dichloride or sulfer dichloride or other chemicals, and was first developed and used by Germany during World War I.  The advantage of mustard gas is that a gas mask will protect the lungs, but any exposed skin may be injured.  The name comes from the liquid form of the “mustard” mixture of chemicals, it is a yellowish brown and it smells like mustard or horseradish.

    The use of poison gas and other chemicals, including mustard, was outlawed by the Geneva Protocol of 1925, and the production and stockpiling, as well as use was again outlawed by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.  Apparently Mr. Hussein did not care for the international law.

    Mustard is also a “persistent” weapon, one that does not rapidly breakdown and remains toxic for decades.  The US, The UK, Germany and other countries have over the years disposed of excess mustard weapons and stockpiles in environmentally unsafe ways, by burying without proper documentation and protection or by dumping in the ocean.  Farmers in Europe have plowed up ground contaminated by mustard from World War I and been injured, and fishermen and other people have encountered it accidentally while fishing or excavating.  The US has disposed of it and other chemical weapons in recent years by incineration.

    Pallets of 155 mm artillery shells containing “HD” (distilled sulfur mustard agent) at Pueblo chemical weapons storage facility in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The distinctive color-coding scheme on each shell is visible

    At Sardasht, at least 130 people died from the gas attack, and it is unknown how many others suffer from long term or permanent health problems, but it is likely to be hundreds.  Of course, there are likely to be traces of the toxin in the area attacked, just waiting to hurt someone.  Aside from the burning and blistering, mustard also causes cancer and genetic mutation.

    Chemical weapons are a diabolical way of attacking an enemy, let alone civilians and deserve to be banned.  With Syria and other rogue nations maintaining stockpiles, it is probably a matter of time before the chemical weapons are used again.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Is there any scenario in which the use of chemical weapons could be justifiable?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Ashton, Nigel and Bryan Gibson.  The Iran-Iraq War: New International Perspectives (Cold War History).  Routledge, 2012.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleJune 27, 1980: Helen Keller Day Established
    Next Article 10 Atrocities Committed by the “Good Guys”
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Are Pro Sports Rigged?

    September 28, 2023

    A Table of Biographies of Roman Emperors and Usurpers

    September 27, 2023

    History Short: What Started the Environmental Movement?

    September 27, 2023

    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2769 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=2769">30 Comments

    1. Ariel Deck on December 8, 2014 1:33 pm

      Even though the mustard gas is not an actual explosive bomb it still sounds absolutely terrible and horrific. I would never want to be anywhere near such an awful weapon. As far as how the countries are disposing of it are scary and irresponsible.

      Reply
    2. Chelsea Adams on December 9, 2014 1:41 pm

      Mustard gas sounds like a horrible poison! I would hate to be near that when it detonated.

      Reply
    3. DAVID WARDLE on April 17, 2015 6:50 am

      Unfortunately, terrorists do not abide by laws and regulations! — DAVID WARDLE

      Reply
    4. Samantha Easterling on April 17, 2015 1:32 pm

      Terrorists have their own plans and don’t care who is in the way

      Reply
    5. Natalie Sholtis on April 20, 2015 2:07 pm

      I think it’s sad that innocent civilians have to suffer at the hands of others. I agree with the other comments; Terrorists do not listen to laws.

      Reply
    6. Mike Rinicella on April 22, 2015 5:07 pm

      This type of gas had to be very horrific for those people who contained it.

      Reply
    7. Heather H on April 23, 2015 9:50 am

      Chemical warfare is a scary tactic that could affect anyone at anytime. Such a shame that civilians are even a target

      Reply
    8. Alex Guthrie on April 27, 2015 9:12 am

      Chemical and biological warfare are very scary….as Heather said, civilians being targeted is a shame. I would say Immoral but I don’t think Hussein’s morals were anywhere near being in tact.

      Reply
    9. Anthony Jasany on May 3, 2015 10:38 pm

      I really think using chemical weapons in any situation is completely immoral

      Reply
    10. Jake Woolf on May 6, 2015 12:56 pm

      Soldiers are made from civilians, and equipment is manufactured by civilians; this is the rationale that makes them, in the minds of some, legitimate targets in war.

      Not saying I agree or disagree, but there it is.

      Reply
    11. ryan C on March 7, 2016 2:46 pm

      That is horrible that innocent civilians had to suffer.

      Reply
    12. kk on April 21, 2016 2:41 pm

      I think a great idea to use in war but not to just try it out against people that never did anything to the people launching the gas bombs. But its scary to handle because if they go off while working on them your done for.

      Reply
    13. SW on April 28, 2016 2:55 pm

      The use of chemical warfare is banned but is there anything being done to enforce this? It seems like many countries aren’t afraid to use these weapons!

      Reply
    14. Kamarin R on May 7, 2016 1:50 pm

      It’s horrible how they intentionally used the gas against civilians.

      Reply
    15. Andy frick on May 8, 2016 3:47 pm

      It is likely only a matter of time before this happens in more countries. If terrorists will kill themselves to kill others, they will certainly use chemical warfare.

      Reply
    16. APG on May 9, 2016 6:56 pm

      It’s only typical that however far science can go to benefit society, it also goes to hurt society. As more and more dangerous weapons are developed, its only common that people seek to exploit the achievements made on how to kill others.

      Reply
    17. Dakota A rinier on May 10, 2016 6:57 am

      Awful to hear what these weapons can dp to a person

      Reply
    18. CJ on May 10, 2016 11:45 pm

      its terrible how they used it against civilians.

      Reply
    19. Isaac Talley on May 11, 2016 3:20 pm

      Chemical warfare is so easy to do. Scientist have so many chemicals in there everyday use it scares me what they can do with just simple cleaning supplies,

      Reply
    20. BV on May 12, 2016 5:44 pm

      It’s so nasty to see them killing innocent people. I don’t even like the thought of war but just doing it to civilians is even worse.

      Reply
    21. Montel Lollis on November 22, 2016 10:05 am

      Thats so crucial and un thoughtful im glad we got that under control he was out of hand.

      Reply
    22. Maxwell McCullough on November 30, 2016 12:51 pm

      Chemical warfare is nasty and always will be. But hopefully it never gets used.

      Reply
    23. Nicholas Hillyer on December 6, 2016 9:21 pm

      Any man who can do this to is own people is a horrible human being and deserves to be exposed to it himself.

      Reply
    24. Courtney G on December 10, 2016 4:57 pm

      This is absolutely disgusting, thinking about what those people went through!

      Reply
    25. Jessica May on December 13, 2016 5:24 pm

      The pictures at the beginning are so disturbing. Chemical warfare is so wrong

      Reply
    26. Mackenzie H on February 17, 2017 10:54 pm

      Those pictures are not pleasant at all. They’re sickening!

      Reply
    27. MIA on April 28, 2017 9:33 am

      Those pictures are disgusting!

      Reply
    28. Amanda Miller on April 28, 2017 11:51 pm

      After reading this article that was the one thing this article reminded me of was Syria, the recent incident over there with the killing of their women and children.

      Reply
    29. Michael Tovissi on May 1, 2017 12:10 am

      Sometimes I wonder why someone would want to do that to innocent people. It sickens me that it’s being used in Syria today.

      Reply
    30. Payton Brown on May 3, 2017 5:00 pm

      It is horrible that civilians were attacked. What purpose does that serve?

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on September 28th

    September 28, 2023

    History Short: Are Pro Sports Rigged?

    September 28, 2023

    A Table of Biographies of Roman Emperors and Usurpers

    September 27, 2023

    This Day in History on September 27th

    September 27, 2023

    History Short: What Started the Environmental Movement?

    September 27, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in .

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.