Two of my NOVELS (On the Shore and A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.) feature WW I veterans. While researching the books, I was horrified to read about the immediate and lasting effects of mustard gas. The gas is so named because its color and odor resemble mustard. It causes large blisters on the skin or lungs, which fill with yellow-brown liquid, and swells the eyelids, resulting in temporary blindness; The gas vaporizes easily, penetrating clothing even in areas not directly exposed. Mustard gas can also damage DNA and decrease the formation of red blood cells in bone marrow, causing aplastic anemia, the same condition caused by radiation poisoning. Read more about both books and the WW I characters affected in NOVELS. Learn more interesting history in BEHIND THE STORY.
