European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday october 31, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 3crisis in the null chemical agents not As deadly As Public thinks expert says by David Tarrant staff writer saudi Arabia a chemical warfare in the persian Gulf would cause far fewer fatalities than the Public imagines says an expert on chemical warfare Medicine. Historically statistics indicate that fewer than one in 20 casualties of chemical warfare will die said col. Michael Dunn commander of the . Army medical research Institute of chemical defense in Aberdeen my. A i think the threat of chemical warfare is very real and i done to think the Issue of chemical warfare has been overplayed in Public a Dunn said. A but one of the things to emphasize is that you re not talking about some terribly devastating weapon. There Are some effective things you can do to Deal with chemical  Dunn is directing a series of three Day intensive courses on chemical warfare Medicine for doctors and other health care providers in operation desert shield. The last . Casualty of chemical warfare occurred More than 70 years ago in world War i. So a key part of the course is to help physicians overcome the fear of the unknown. Dunn said that a chemical warfare agents have really been a greater cause of non lethal rather than lethal  the judgment is based on evidence from world War i when chemical warfare was first used extensively to the Gulf War Between Iran and Iraq which ended in 1988. Dunn noted that the Public perception of chemical warfare is far More deadly. A Iraq experienced its greatest Success in chemical warfare used against unprotected civilians and against such irregular forces As the revolutionary guards who All wore beards for religious reasons and  get a Seal on their protective masks a he said. . Forces Are far better protected against a chemical attack. A even in a nerve agent attack for every one fatal nerve agent exposure there la be 20 or so other people who have a hard time focusing who have the sweats who have the shakes who have an inability to continue the Mission a he said. Ironically much of the latest information available to Western physicians on the treatment of chemical casualties comes from the iraqis. At an International meeting on traumatic and warfare injuries in Kuwait City last december iraqi doctors spoke to Western physicians about chemical it. Cmdr. Ben Burke of Montgomery ala., gives it. Cmdr. Beth Mcgoon of Denver a hug after the Navy physicians completed a course in saudi Arabia on treating casualties from chemical and nerve agent warfare. Warfare. A the main thing they had to communicate was first no panic. This is just another weapon a Dunn said. Dunn a main concern is with Mustard Gas which caused 45,000 casualties during the Gulf War. A Mustard was far and away the largest cause of chemical casualties in the Gulf  a . Report revealed two other nerve agents also used in the War Tabun and Sarin. Mustard Gas attacks the skin eyes and air passageways. A the skin injury is similar to any other chemical Burn and it can involve Large amounts of body surface area with the formation of fluid filled blisters a he said. Fatal injuries were almost always associated with respiratory failure or secondary bacterial infections that caused pneumonia. A everybody who Dies of Mustard injury Dies because of the Airway involvement a he said. On their protective mask carriers . Forces carry antidote kits which include injections of atropine and Pali oxime which Are used after exposure to the chemical agents. A newer antidote called  can be taken several hours before exposure and can greatly enhance the effectiveness of the other two antidotes Dunn said. Doctors themselves must take precautions not to fall victim to the nerve agents. A in the Gulf War a number of iranian health care providers disabled themselves and became casualties because of handling contaminated casualties a Dunn said. Navy physician Mark Lawson a gastroenterologist said the course had Given him a better understanding of How to handle casualties of chemical warfare. A at first you fear the unknown. You fear what will happen to yourself and to your patient a he said. A a course like this a added Navy physician Artis Croslin a eliminates a lot of that  assault could galvanize allies prof says by Dave Diehl . Bureau Leeds England a a if the iraqis use chemical weapons it could be their undoing says an expert on such warfare. A using chemical or even biological weapons might invite even More destructive counterattacks upon Iraq a said Edward Spiers a professor of strategic studies at the University of Leeds. A that might be the Best sort of deterrent for him using these chemicals. Spiers who has written two books on chemical warfare said iraqis use of chemicals could turn world opinion even More strongly against president Saddam Hussein and give at least tacit Sanction to a brutal Allied response. A a lot will depend on the circumstances in which the conflicts Start and the Way in which the politicians present the options a Spiers said. A the clearer the message can come across that there will be an absolute devastating response the better Chance that Hussein might hold Back. If at the same time that is not made abundantly Clear then he May consider a what is there to lose a a Iraq has not been reluctant to use chemical weapons in the past. Saddam bombarded iranian forces with gases during the eight year War Between the two countries and he used deadly chemical weapons in 1988 against the kurd who live in Western Iraq. Spiers said that Iraq is one of the worlds biggest makers of chemical weapons but could not win a War with them. A i think they would use them tactically on the ground forces to Block passes and disrupt movement a Spiers said noting that this is one of the ways the iraqis used Mustard Gas against Iran. A i also think they would be used to attack Static air base command posts and communication Points. To inconvenience the  any use of chemicals by the iraqis would be Early Spiers said because the allies certainly would hit iraqi chemical stores and plants soon after the Start of a conflict. A a he a got a Choice use them or lose them a he said. If the iraqis used chemical weapons at All Spiers said they would Likely be of the Mustard Gas variety which cause skin Burns or severe respiratory problems if inhaled. Spiers said the chemical warfare equipment used by the forces opposing Iraq would provide enough Protection against anything Iraq could throw at them