Vesicants, also referred to as blister agents, were the most commonly used chemical warfare agents during World War I. The most likely routes of exposure are inhalation, dermal contact, and ocular contact. Vesicants are highly reactive chemicals that combine with proteins, DNA, and other cellular components to result in cellular changes immediately after exposure. Depending on the vesicant, clinical effects may occur immediately (as with phosgene oxime or lewisite) or may be delayed for 2 to 24 hours (as with mustards). Following exposure, the most commonly encountered clinical effects include dermal (skin erythema and blistering), respiratory (pharyngitis, cough, dyspnea), ocular (conjunctivitis and burns), and gastrointestinal (nausea and vomiting). Decontamination is the removal and/or neutralization of hazardous levels of chemical and biological contamination from personnel, material, or the ground. Personnel decontamination refers to the ability to decontaminate human skin and personal equipment (e.g., clothing, personal protective equipment) that may pose a direct threat to human health through direct contact. Decontamination of the skin must quickly and efficiently remove the contaminant without causing damage to the skin. Skin decontaminants can either destroy the contaminant on the skin through chemical or biological reactions or physically remove it from the skin. The substances used for skin decontamination are generally too strongly irritant to be used on mucous membranes and the eyes. In this case the affected tissues should be flushed immediately with water from the water bottle. Each soldier is given the means for a preliminary decontamination of the skin, the means being based on physical adsorption or on the combination of physical adsorption and chemical inactivation. Physical adsorption can be achieved by adsorbing powders. Chemical inactivation is often effected by chlorinating compounds incorporated into adsorbing powders, ointments, solutions or organic solvents. Mustards should not be decontaminated with water, except for the eyes, as this may spread the agent. Whatever means is used has to be efficient and quick acting. Within 2 minutes contact time, a drop of mustard on the skin can cause serious damage. Chemical inactivation using chlorination is effective against mustard and Lewisite, less so against HN3, and is ineffective against phosgene oxime. In the case of thickened mustard, where the usual procedure is inadequate, the agent may be scraped off with a knife or similar hard object. This may be followed by wetting the surface with a cloth drenched in an organic solvent, e.g., petrol (unleaded gasoline) and subsequent application of the usual decontaminating procedure. If water is available in abundant amounts these procedures should be followed by copious washing. This is clipped from the 1942 US army training film, Decontamination: personnel and area. The entire film is available at the National Archives.

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