Cutaneous contact with mustard gas

Non melanotic malignant neoplasm of the skin - Cutaneous contact with mustard gas Factor

Mustard gas exposure during service

Mustard gas was first used by the Germans at Ypres on 12.7.1917.  Although chlorine gas, lachrymatory (tear) gas and phosgene (in conjunction with chlorine) were used from 1915, a veteran could only have been exposed to mustard gas after 11.7.1917.

Australian defence personnel were exposed to mustard gas during World War 2 in two circumstances.  The first form of exposure, gas training, was by far the most common, and the majority of Australian defence personnel received this training.  Usually, trainees were assembled in a tent and were exposed to an agent that they were told was mustard gas.  They were instructed to don gas masks, breathe through the mask and leave the tent.  The training varied between establishments.  Most armed forces had this training, or similar, during World War Two.  In actual fact, due to the unavailability of mustard gas in some parts of Australia, substitutes such as tear gas was sometimes used, although the trainees were usually still told that the agent was mustard gas.  Personnel involved in the transportation and storage of mustard gas were also at risk of exposure.

The second form of exposure was far more serious.  It involved the deliberate exposure of a group of volunteers in Northern Queensland in a series of experiments to determine the effectiveness of mustard gas in tropical environments.  Whilst the majority of volunteers suffered little ill effect as a result of the experiments, the effects on others were more serious.  The severity of these effects indicates there was a significant exposure to mustard gas.

Each State has a list of those veterans who were associated with the experiments at Brook Island, Innisfail and Proserpine.  (Lists are generally held in the Review area).  The listing of a name is not conclusive evidence that the veteran actually took part in a trial.  Nor does failure to appear on the list mean conclusively that the veteran did not participate in a trial.  If there is alleged involvement in a trial and the veteran's name does not appear on the list, confirmation of involvement in a trial should be requested from the Director of Public Information, Department of Defence in accordance with Departmental Instruction B42/87 of 11.12.1987.

Note: This Departmental Instruction contains instructions which are out of date.  To request information from the Department of Defence a request should be made to the SAM team via DocTracker.

Last reviewed for CCPS 26 September 2007.

Investigative Documents

Preliminary questions [12820]

34484 there is some evidence that cutaneous contact with mustard gas may be a factor in the development of the condition under consideration.

27328 the condition under consideration is squamous cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ, basal cellcarcinoma or basosquamous carcinoma.

34485 the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at some time.

34486 the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at some time.

34487  the veteran has established the causal connection between cutaneous contact with mustard gas and VEA service for the clinical onset of non-melanotic malignant neoplasm of the skin.

34488   the veteran has established the causal connection between cutaneous contact with mustard gas and operational service for the clinical onset of non-melanotic malignant neoplasm of the skin.

or

34489   the veteran has established the causal connection between cutaneous contact with mustard gas and eligible service for the clinical onset of non-melanotic malignant neoplasm of the skin.

Clinical onset and operational service [34488]

34490 the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at least five years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

34492 on operational service, the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at least five years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

34495 the cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body, on operational service, at least five years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration, was due to the veteran's serious default, wilful act or serious breach of discipline.

Clinical onset and eligible service [34489]

34491 the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at least ten years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

34493 on eligible service, the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at least ten years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

34494 as a causal result of eligible service, the veteran had cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body at least ten years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

34496 the cutaneous contact with mustard gas at side and site of the body, on eligible service, at least ten years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration, was due to the veteran's serious default, wilful act or serious breach of discipline.