Depending on the severity of the exposure, symptoms may not occur for up to 24 hours. Some people are more sensitive to sulfur mustard than are other people, and may have signs and symptoms sooner.
Sulfur mustard can have the following effects on specific parts of the body: Skin : redness and itching of the skin may occur 2 to 48 hours after exposure and may eventually change to yellow blistering of the skin.
Eyes : irritation, pain, swelling, and tearing may occur within 3 to 12 hours of a mild to moderate exposure. A severe exposure may cause signs and symptoms within 1 to 2 hours and may include the symptoms of a mild or moderate exposure plus light sensitivity, severe pain, or blindness lasting up to 10 days.
Respiratory tract : runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness, bloody nose, sinus pain, shortness of breath, and cough within 12 to 24 hours of a mild exposure and within 2 to 4 hours of a severe exposure. Digestive tract : abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Bone marrow : decreased formation of blood cells aplastic anemia or decreased red or white blood cells and platelets pancytopenia leading to weakness, bleeding and infections.
Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to sulfur mustard. What the long-term health effects may be Exposure to sulfur mustard liquid is more likely to produce second- and third- degree burns and later scarring than is exposure to sulfur mustard vapor. Extensive skin burning can be fatal. Extensive breathing in of the vapors can cause chronic respiratory disease, repeated respiratory infections, or death. Extensive eye exposure can cause permanent blindness.
How people can protect themselves and what they should do if they are exposed to sulfur mustard Because no antidote exists for sulfur mustard exposure, the best thing to do is avoid it.
Immediately leave the area where the sulfur mustard was released. Try to find higher ground, because sulfur mustard is heavier than air and will settle in low-lying areas. If avoiding sulfur mustard exposure is not possible, rapidly remove the sulfur mustard from the body.
Getting the sulfur mustard off as soon as possible after exposure is the only effective way to prevent or decrease tissue damage to the body. Quickly remove any clothing that has liquid sulfur mustard on it. If possible, seal the clothing in a plastic bag, and then seal that bag inside a second plastic bag.
Immediately wash any exposed part of the body eyes, skin, etc. Eyes need to be flushed with water for 5 to 10 minutes. Contact with mustard causes painful, long-lasting blisters to form on the skin and the mucous membranes. The blister agent reacts with water in skin cells and in the lungs to literally tear apart cellular structures.
It can cause severe eye and lung damage and can also cause blindness. Exposure to sulfur mustard is usually not fatal. When sulfur mustard was used during World War I, it killed fewer than 5 percent of those people who were exposed and received medical care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Persons exposed to significant concentrations without protective equipment, however, are at great risk. Ten milligrams can kill one person. Moreover, mustard-related injuries are so painful and debilitating that several soldiers are required to take care of each casualty, thus reducing the military effectiveness of battlefield forces.
Symptoms include itchy skin, irritation, swelling and watering of the eyes, runny nose, sneezing, sinus pain, shortness of breath and a burning sensation in the lungs. Symptoms can also include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Signs and symptoms of exposure typically do not occur immediately.
Depending on the severity of the exposure, symptoms may not occur for 2 to 24 hours. Sulfur mustard or its breakdown products can be detected in your blood and urine within a few weeks after your last exposure.
Find an IN. Cyanide Ricin Sarin Sulfur Mustard. How does sulfur mustard enter the environment? How can people be exposed to sulfur mustard? What are the effects of sulfur mustard? How do you know if you've been exposed to sulfur mustard?
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