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Overall, relatively few, though the psychological impact was great. Gas was generally very ineffective as a weapon (it was prone to be carried on the wind to places not originally intended), and tended to cause more injuries than deaths.

Overall, the three major gases used in WW1 (chlorine, phosphogene, and mustard) caused a total of about 100,000 deaths (the majority of them Russian).

To give an idea of how ineffective it was, British statistics showed that of soldiers affected by gas, 3% died, 2% were crippled, 25% required longer-term care (but mostly recovered), and 70% were returned to duty within 2 months. Comparable statistics for those hit by artillery (the biggest killer of WW1): 40% dead/crippled, 10% long-term care, and 50% returned to duty.

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13y ago

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