30-11-2012, 06:17 PM
Chemical Weapons And It’s Impact on Living Things
Chemical Weapons And It’s Uses.pptx (Size: 138.12 KB / Downloads: 89)
Introduction
A chemical weapon (CW) is a device that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm to human beings.
Chemical weapons use the toxic properties of chemical substances rather than their explosive properties to produce physical or physiological effects on an enemy.
A British gas bomb that was used during World War I
Approximately 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were used by the US military in southern Vietnam between 1962 and 1971.
It eradicated around 15% of South Vietnam’s vegetation, and gave rise to serious health problems for the soldiers, civilians and local wildlife that were exposed to it.
Agent Orange contains dioxin, a highly toxic substance that is still detected in the bodies of Vietnamese people today.
It contaminated the soil and rivers and, through the food chain, passed into fish - a staple of the Vietnamese diet.
Conclusion
Humankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihood.
The environment has always been an unpublicised, unnoticed victim of war.
UN and environmental activists are demanding that nations stop using environmental destruction as a weapon of war