Mustard Poisoning

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it?

• Mustard is an oily, straw colored liquid. It is called mustard because it smells like mustard. Some people think mustard agents smell more like garlic or onions. Mustard can either be a liquid or an aerosol (AIR-o-sawl). An aerosol is a spray. When mustard is an aerosol it is called mustard gas.
  
  
• Mustard was first used in World War I. Much of the fighting in World War I was done in trenches dug into the ground. Since mustard is heavier than air, it sinks into low areas, like trenches. Mustard is considered to be one of the worst weapons ever created. It is against the law for mustard to be used, even in war, but some groups may still use it as a weapon.
  
  
• Mustard can be sprayed anywhere. It can also be poured as a liquid. Mustard will stick where it was sprayed or poured for a long time. As long as mustard is on an object, it can stick to body parts that touch the object.

How do you get poisoned with mustard agents? The most likely targets for mustard poisoning are the military. United States military populations are prepared for mustard use during special training exercises. Mustard has also been used on civilian (non-military) populations within the last twenty years. A mustard attack would most likely happen in an enclosed area where there are a lot of people. Mustard gas may be sprayed onto people or objects people may touch. These include handrails, handles, and plants, trees, and soil.

What are the signs and symptoms of mustard poisoning? There are four main body areas where mustard may damage you. The four areas are your skin, eyes, airway, and digestive tract. Your airway includes your nose, throat, and lungs. Your digestive tract includes your stomach and intestines.

• Skin: When mustard gets on your skin, it does not hurt, burn, or itch right away. It will feel oily and it will smell like mustard, garlic, or onions. In about four to eight hours your skin will first begin to get red, and may burn and itch. Very small, medium, or large blisters will form. The length of time it takes for signs and symptoms to appear depends on how much mustard got on you, and how long it was there. The blisters will fill with fluid. The fluid from the blisters does not have any mustard in it, and cannot harm anyone else.
  
  
• Eyes. When mustard gets in your eyes, it does not hurt or burn right away. Pain begins in four to eight hours and may increase over time. If you get a small amount of mustard in your eyes, you may develop conjunctivitis (kun-junk-tiv-I-tis) (pink eye). Moderate or large amounts of mustard may cause serious eye damage. Eye damage from mustard may be permanent. It may even cause blindness.
  
  
• Airway. When you first breathe in mustard, it does not hurt or burn your nose, throat, or lungs. Breathing in a small amount may make you sneeze, irritate your nose, and give you a sore throat. More mustard can get deeper into your throat and burn it. If you inhale a lot of mustard it can get into your lungs and burn them. This will make it very hard for you to breathe. You may even die.
  
  
• Digestive tract. Mustard can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal (belly) pain.

What is the treatment for mustard poisoning? The first and most important treatment is to get the mustard off your body. If mustard is on your clothes, or you just suspect it is, take your clothes off. Put your clothes into a plastic bag. If possible, get into a shower. Use soap if it is available. If there is no soap available use plain water. Do not scrub your skin. Rinse gently. It takes four to eight hours for signs and symptoms to appear. You will not know until then how much damage was done to your skin. Scrubbing will make any damage worse. If your eyes were exposed to mustard, run plain water into them for at least 10-15 minutes. When you are through taking a shower, find clean clothes and shoes. You will still need treatment from a medical professional (doctor). Seek help immediately.

• Skin. Caregivers will treat skin blisters and burns according to how big the blisters are and how much damage was done to your skin. Small blisters may be left alone since the fluid inside will not do you more harm. Large blisters may need to be opened and cleaned.
  
  
• Eyes. Eyes may be treated with special eyedrops and eye ointments. Eyes are not bandaged after a mustard attack. Bandages keep the eyes closed, make eyelids stick together, and may make eye damage worse.
  
  
• Airway. Cooling mist will help your airway if you breathed in a small amount of mustard. A humidifier or cool mist vaporizer may be used. Oxygen and breathing treatments may be needed if you breathed in more than a tiny amount. You may need a ventilator (a special machine that breathes for you) if your life is in danger.

What can I do to prevent mustard poisoning? There is nothing you can do to stop someone or a group from using mustard to harm other people. There are things you can do to help yourself and your loved ones in case of a mustard attack:

• If you think that mustard is being used, go up. Climb to the top floor of a building, or climb a hill. Mustard is heavier than air. Unless there is wind, mustard will settle into low-lying outside areas and in buildings, into basements.
  
  
• Hold your breath without breathing in first. If you are outside, go inside. Close all the doors and windows. Shut off heating or air conditioning to keep outside air from coming in. Go to the highest floor in the building.
  
  
• The most important thing to do for mustard poisoning is to wash it off as quickly as possible. Rinse your eyes for 10-15 minutes under running water. If possible, get into a shower and rinse the mustard off your skin. Use soap, but do not rub your skin or use a brush. You cannot see or feel skin or eye damage from mustard for several hours after exposure.
  
  
• Find clean clothes. Do not wear the clothes you had on during the attack. Find shoes that don't have any mustard on them.
  
  
• If telephone lines are open, call your caregiver. Follow your caregiver's instructions. If you cannot reach your caregiver, go to the nearest clinic or medical facility. Even if you washed the mustard off completely, you will still need medical care. Be careful not to touch any place that mustard might cling to. Do not touch your eyes.
  
  
• If many people were harmed with the mustard agent, medical facilities will be very busy. You may be asked to shower again. Since this cannot harm you, and may help, shower as many times as caregivers tell you to. Caregivers at medical facilities want to make sure that the mustard agent does not come into the facility. If it does, it will contaminate (kun-TAM-in-ate) (cover or become part of an object that others will touch) caregivers or patients.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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