Hush-A-Bombs?

According to the public editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 12 or so Mustard and Sarin Gas shells discovered by the Iraq Survey Group are NOT weapons of mass destruction. OK, then, what exactly are you supposed to call them? I posed this question back to the editor and have not received a reply. I know, maybe the Centers for Disease Control, with their great info chemicals can help. What do they say about sarin?

Sarin is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar to certain kinds of pesticides (insect killers) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides.

Oh, so sarin is just a powerful insecticide. Well, that's no big deal. Iraq had barrels of insecticide, which they stored for some reason near ammo dumps. I wonder what the effect of sarin is on humans?

Mild or moderately exposed people usually recover completely. Severely exposed people are not likely to survive.

That does not sound good. However, since the AJC told me it's not WMD, I probably should not worry. Obviously, the shells are just big bug bombs, used to wipe out those tenacious camel spiders in Iraq.

Since that's settled, then what about mustard gas, also known as Sulfur Mustard. The CDC says:

Sulfur mustard is a type of chemical warfare agent. These kinds of agents are called vesicants or blistering agents, because they cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact.

I don't understand why "chemical warfare agent" keeps coming up in this CDC stuff. That almost sounds like these are Nuclear, Chemical, or Biological weapons, or in other words, weapons of mass destruction. And I know that can't be right, because the public editor of the AJC told me so.

So, what are the effects of sulfur mustard?

Exposure to sulfur mustard is usually not fatal. When sulfur mustard was used during World War I, it killed fewer than 5% of the people who were exposed and got medical care.

That's not so bad - 95% of people exposed don't die. Gee, what about other effects?

It damages DNA, a vital component of cells in the body.

Big deal, everybody can use a third eye and some extra toes. Is there more?

Extensive breathing in of the vapors can cause chronic respiratory disease, repeated respiratory infections, or death.
Extensive eye exposure can cause permanent blindness.

See, nothing to worry about.