Final answer:
The correct answer is option a. Chemical warfare agents include nerve agents, blister agents, and tear agents, which cause symptoms like convulsions and asphyxiation, skin blisters, and eye irritation, respectively. CWAs can be in the form of gases, liquids, or solids, and have immediate to long-term health effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Types of Chemical Warfare Agents and Their Effects
Chemical warfare involves the use of chemical substances to harm or incapacitate an enemy. There are several classes of chemical warfare agents (CWAs), each with different effects on the human body:
Blister agents (vesicants): These cause severe skin, eye, and mucosal pain and irritation, leading to blisters. Mustard gas is a well-known blister agent that can cause prolonged injury and even death.
Tear agents (lachrymators): Designed to irritate the eyes and respiratory tract, causing tearing, pain, and sometimes temporary blindness. Common examples are substances like CS gas (tear gas).
The physical form of CWAs, which can be gases, liquids, or solids, affects how they are deployed and the protective measures required. Gaseous agents like phosgene and chlorine can lead to suffocation, while liquid agents may cause harm through skin absorption or inhalation after evaporation.
Exposure to CWAs can result in immediate and long-term health effects, depending on the nature and amount of the exposure. Symptoms can be respiratory distress, skin lesions, eye irritation, and more severe outcomes like paralysis or hemorrhage.
Since the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the use of chemical weapons has been banned; however, their effects remain a concern due to past usage and the potential for future incidents.