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History

adamsite, in chemical warfare, sneeze gas developed by the United States and used during World War I. Adamsite is an arsenical diphenylaminechlorarsine and an odourless crystalline organic compound employed in vaporous form as a lung irritant. It appears as a yellow smoke that irritates eyes, lungs, and mucous membranes and causes sneezing, vomiting, and acute discomfort in the nose, throat, and chest. Eventually severe nausea develops, with headache, general physical weakness, and despondency. The effect usually lasts about 12 hours. The only protection against inhaling the gas is a good mechanical filter.