Despite years having passed since the end of the Imposed War, due to Iraq' s use of chemical weapons, 61,892 people in Iran are still dealing with complications of chemical injury.

Chemical weapons are gases that disrupt vital human functions.⁠[1]These weapons also have destructive effects on the environment and cause destruction of vegetation and genetic disorders in animals.⁠[2]

For the first time in World War I (1914-1918), various chlorine and mustard gases were used on fronts by the parties involved and left more than one million injured and 100 thousand killed.⁠[3]

In the Imposed War of Iraq against Iran, this country widely used chemical weapons.⁠[4] As an example in Kheibar Operation (March 1984) and capture of Majnoun Islands, the Iraqi Army after five days of unsuccessful counterattacks resorted to chemical weapons and on 28 February bombarded Iranian forces with bombs containing mustard and tabun gas and 1100 Iranian forces were injured.⁠[5] After that 16 Islamic combatants, on 2 March, who had been wounded in chemical bombardments of Kheibar operational region, were sent to Switzerland and Sweden for further treatment.⁠[6]

The chemical gases used by Iraq were different. Some gases entered lungs through inhalation and some were absorbed by body. Some gases affected skin and eyes; mostly mustard gas had such effect. When mustard gas was used at night because forces had not worn masks, they inhaled larger volume of gases and its destructive effect increased.⁠[7] Correct and timely identification of warfare chemical agent will in many cases keep poisoned person alive, while a few minutes delay can lead to death.⁠[8] The first problem in chemical attacks was lack of knowledge of the type of chemical gases Iraq used.⁠[9]

Iraq in chemical attacks of early years of war mostly used toxic gases. For this reason, Iran first went for preparation and production of anti-gas masks which was very effective. Of course some gases acted quickly and their antidotes had to be prepared and how to use them taught to combatants. Inside the country, medical community and IRGC research groups identified various enemy gases including mustard gas, nerve gases and cyanide gas and made their antidotes. Among these can be mentioned atropine ampoule as antidote for nerve gases and amyl nitrite, antidote for cyanide gas.⁠[10]

Medical groups during the war gradually reached results and based on them wrote instructions and compiled primary treatment measures for chemical casualties. When enemy used nerve gas and gases causing skin lesions, medical groups stationed in frontline emergencies removed contaminated clothes from casualties and regularly washed parts of body, like eyes, which are more vulnerable, to eliminate long-term effects of gas on eyes.⁠[11]

Sometimes during provision of medical and nursing services to war and chemical casualties, serious harm was also inflicted on healthcare personnel themselves. Chemical contamination of medical staff was not limited to time of caring for casualties, but enemy use of chemical weapons and direct exposure of medical staff to chemical substances also caused their contamination and injury.⁠[12]

With continuation of war, Iraq' s use of chemical weapons continued. As an example in Valfajr 8 Operation and capture of Faw, Iraq from the start of operation carried out the most severe chemical attacks in history and in 15 days employed 7 thousand artillery and mortar shells and one thousand bombs containing chemical substances against Iranian forces. The most severe chemical attack occurred on Faw-Basra road on 13 February 1986 which led to injury of 8,477 people and martyrdom of 23.⁠[13] Due to multitude of wounded, for treatment of chemical casualties, the 12,000-seat hall of Azadi Stadium in Tehran was considered and 2000 to 2500 hospital beds were arranged in it and chemical casualties were treated.⁠[14] Immediate dispatch of chemical casualties to European hospitals was among most important treatment measures. For example 37 people on 17 February 1986 were sent to Sweden and 107 to Austria, West Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and England.⁠[15] Of course it is said sometimes Germany treated Iranian chemical casualties to identify effects of these materials and ways to treat them.⁠[16]

Also among other measures for treatment of chemical casualties was inviting foreign specialists which saved treatment costs.⁠[17]

Late in the Imposed War, alongside transfer of ordinary wounded from operational regions to hospitals, a precise system was defined for transfer of chemical casualties and treatment of chemical casualties was carried out regularly. In addition to physicians, combatants also became familiar with different gases and their antidotes and immediately after chemical bombardment had necessary readiness to confront it; for this reason number of chemical wounded and martyrs gradually decreased.⁠[18]

Use of chemical weapons continued until end of Imposed War in summer 1988.⁠[19] The last Iraqi use of chemical gases relates to 2 August 1988 in Sheikh Osman village of Oshnavieh in which 51 women and children were martyred.⁠[20]

During the Sacred Defense Khuzestan 225 times, Kurdistan 51 times, Ilam 37 times, West Azarbaijan 36 times and Kermanshah 33 times were subjected to Iraqi chemical aggression.⁠[21] During these attacks, 17,250 people were martyred and 127 thousand were injured.⁠[22]

Now 61,892 people in Iran are chemical veterans of whom 683 are severe chemical veterans (lung, eye and skin), 9,785 with mild complications (eye and skin) and 51,424 mild under clinical observation (skin).⁠[23]

Chemical veterans will deal with pulmonary disease complications for rest of their lives and must be under supervision of specialist physicians.⁠[24] Due to secondary lesions and complications of injury and also due to increased age, lesions of these veterans gradually progress.⁠[25] Among them in recent years chemical veterans have suffered visual weakness which is a late complication of mustard gas.⁠[26] Among other problems related to chemical veterans relates to their marriage and birth of babies suffering neuropsychiatric disease due to genetic transfer of chemical injury.⁠[27]

Sasan Hospital in Tehran is among subspecialty hospitals providing free medical services to chemical veterans. Until 2018 some chemical veterans were dispatched to Germany for further treatment but currently this care is done in Iran.⁠[28]