A blister agent is a chemical warfare agent that produces local irritation and damage to the skin and mucous membranes, pain and injury to the eyes, reddening and blistering of the skin, and when inhaled, damage to the respiratory tract. Blister agents include mustards, arsenicals like lewisite, and mustard and lewisite mixtures. Blister agents are also called vesicants or vesicant agents.^[116,117]

Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM)

A CAM is a hand-held, soldier-operated device that is used to monitor chemical warfare agent contamination on individuals and equipment. The chemical agent monitor may give false readings when used in enclosed spaces or when sampling near strong vapor sources (for example, in dense smoke). Some vapors known to give false readings are aromatic vapors (perfumes, food flavorings, some after shaves, peppermints, cough lozenges, and menthol cigarettes when vapors are exhaled directly into the nozzle), cleaning compounds (disinfectants, methyl salicylate, menthol), smokes and fumes (exhaust from some rocket motors, fumes from some munitions), and some wood preservative treatments (polychlorinated biphenyls).^[118]

A chemical warfare agent is a chemical substance, used in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate though its physiological effects. Excluded are riot control agents, herbicides, smoke, and flame. Included are blood, nerve, blister, choking, and incapacitating agents.^[119]

Cutaneous

Of, relating to, or affecting the skin.^[120]

A non-persistent blister agent abbreviated as L

Chemical name: Dichloro 2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine^[121]

It is a liquid with a geranium-like odor. It is used as a moderately delayed-action casualty agent with a persistency somewhat shorter than that of distilled mustard. It produces effects similar to mustard with one exception: lewisite produces immediate pain.^[122]

The largest of the Marine air-ground task forces, is normally built around a division/wing/force service support group team, but can include several divisions and aircraft wings, together with an appropriate combat service support organization. The Marine Expeditionary Force is capable of conducting a wide range of amphibious assault operations and sustained operations ashore. It can be tailored for a wide variety of combat missions in any geographic environment.^[123]

The primary chemical warfare agent detector fielded in the Fox reconnaissance vehicle. During Operation Desert Storm, the MM-1 monitored against a target list of approximately 10 selected chemical warfare agents most likely to be present, based on intelligence reports of the suspected chemical warfare agent threat. To speed the initial search, the MM-1 looks for only four ion peaks for each chemical warfare agent and attempts to match the target list of chemicals against the pattern and ratio of these peaks. If an initial match is made with these four ion peaks at a pre-determined intensity, the MM-1 sounds an alarm. However, this first alarm does not confirm the presence of a chemical warfare agent since there are many chemicals that have similar ion peaks and many combinations of chemicals that may yield ion patterns similar to those in the target list. Consequently, the MM-1 can falsely indicate the presence of dangerous chemical warfare agents. To more conclusively determine what chemical is present, the MM-1 must analyze the spectrum of the suspected chemical against the 60 detection algorithms stored in the MM-1 chemical library. For more detailed analysis later, the complete ion spectrum can be printed on a paper tape.^[124]

A group agents that includes the sulfur mustards (H and HD) which are chlorinated thioethers, and the nitrogen mustards (HN-1, HN-2 and HN-3) which are considered derivatives of ammonia. Mustards can penetrate skin and a great number of materials. These materials include wood, leather, rubber and paints. Because of their physical properties, mustards are very persistent under cold temperature conditions. ^[125]

NBC reports are formatted messages designed to disseminate key information on NBC threats.^[126]

All chemical compounds are made up of small pieces called molecules. A mass spectrometer excites each molecule, breaking it into smaller charged particles called "ions," and then counts each ion in a sample. These ions are sorted by their atomic weights, providing a unique signature for each chemical substance. The MM-1 graphically displays the relative intensities of selected ion patterns to the operator’s screen.^[127]

A chemical warfare agent that acts on the eyes, lungs and skin, capable of producing blisters.^[128]