Armies of Liberation

Update: I get a quick lesson from Steven Den Beste (wow) over at Dean’s:

Pure chlorine is extremely easy to make. In fact, it was the first chemical weapon used in WWI; the Germans took tanks of chlorine to the front line, and when the prevailing wind favored them, opened up the tanks to let the chlorine drift downwind towards the enemy. Since chlorine gas is heavier than air, it tends to sit on the ground and to collect in trenches.

As poisonous gases go, it’s not very effective, and that’s why everyone developed “better” ones later. But it is greenish/yellow in appearance.

When it comes in contact with water, it has a tendency to convert into hydrochloric acid. When that happens in the lungs of victims, the result is severe lung damage possibly leading to death. In a victim’s eyes it can cause blindness. But it can happen on someone’s skin, too, for instance if they’re sweaty, and in that case can cause skin burns.

Based on what I saw in the linked article, I don’t see any reason to assume that the claimed attack used anything more elaborate than pure chlorine gas.

Not that that makes it any better, mind, but it also isn’t very sophisticated. Any country in the world with a modern water supply system in any of its cities already has the ability to produce chlorine gas, which is used as a sterilizing agent for the water.

So his analysis is matching the victims injuries reported in the papers and by al-Houthi and largely the physical description of the cloud by my witness. The use of chlorine as a weapon is clearly prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention Yemen ratified in 2000 below.

OPCW

1. Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never under any circumstances:

(a) To develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to anyone;

(b) To use chemical weapons;

(c) To engage in any military preparations to use chemical weapons;

(d) To assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention.

2. Each State Party undertakes to destroy chemical weapons it owns or possesses, or that are located in any place under its jurisdiction or control, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.

For the purposes of this Convention:

1. “Chemical Weapons” means the following, together or separately:

(a) Toxic chemicals

2. “Toxic Chemical” means:

Any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals. This includes all such chemicals, regardless of their origin or of their method of production, and regardless of whether they are produced in facilities, in munitions or elsewhere.

1. Each State Party shall, in accordance with its constitutional processes, adopt the necessary measures to implement its obligations under this Convention. In particular, it shall:

(a) Prohibit natural and legal persons anywhere on its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction as recognized by international law from undertaking any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention, including enacting penal legislation with respect to such activity;

(b) Not permit in any place under its control any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention;

Seems pretty clear cut to me. So if its true that the Yemeni regime, our ally, used chlorine as a means of warfare against the Houthis and civilians, then they are in violation of international law. We could clear all this up very easily if Saleh would reopen the region which has been blockaded for more that a year.

Update: Mustard gas, ammonia, and chlorine are corrosive chemicals that may be used in a chemical-biological incident. They are designed to injure skin, eyes, and nasal mucosa, producing severe pain and incapacitation. If these chemicals are inhaled, life-threatening pneumonitis may also occur.

More: Chemical weapons are composed of compounds that have been artificially constructed, as opposed to compounds that exist naturally in either an inorganic or organic state. In chemical facilities around the world, disabling and deadly compounds (such as phosgene, chlorine, and mustard gas) are engineered for use almost exclusively against human beings. Unlike nuclear weapons and many traditional or conventional weapons, chemical weapons (in a manner analogous to the neutron bomb) destroy people rather than property, though clean up can be a significant problem. Chemical weapons are heavily weather dependent; for example, rain can dilute them or wind can disperse them.

Choking Agents: In its pure form, chlorine is a greenish-yellow gas with a pungent odor….Inhaled chlorine causes labored breathing and the buildup of fluid in the lungs. High exposure results in death.

Chlorine is corrosive to the skin, causing burns.

Chlorine can cause frostbitten skin and eyes.

Signs and symptoms of chlorine include among others:

Central nervous system General excitement or restlessness, lightheadedness, headache

Cardiovascular system Rapid heart rate, increased rate of respiration
Skin Redness, erythema, and chemical burns to the skin from dose-dependent exposure to liquid, cyanosis, dermatitis
other Excess salivation, muscle weakness, rales