Effects of Mustard(blister) Agents

        Mustard poisoning is a very serious chemical poisoning that is a lot like OP nerve agent poisoning.    Survivors of encounters with this chemicals have complained of nausea, vomitting, and dirrhea.  In 1984 alone more than five-thousand Iranians died from mustard poisoning.  Of those five-thousand twenty to seventy percent had third degree burns over most of their bodies.  Before they died they all had tearing of eyes, temporary loss of vision, and blurred vision.  They also had severe conjunctivitis(an inflamation of the mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids), corneal abrasion, and photophobia. Photophobia is an extreme sensitivity to light.  Unlike OP nerve poisoning the symptoms for mustard poisoning take from one to two hours to take effect.   In addition to those other things mustard poioning also causes irritation to the gastrointestinal tract, tissue damage, and pharyngitis, which is a sore throat or inflamation of the mucous membrane.  This is a sore throat so bad that it has a fifteen percent mortality rate.   Another effect of the chemical that has a fifteen percent mortality rate is tracheobronchitis.  Mustard poisoning causes tissue damage and  and irritation to the skin and respiratory system, and hematologic problems after five to seven days.  Hematologic problems are ones that have to do with the blood.