<P> The most frequently used chemicals during World War I were tear - inducing irritants rather than fatal or disabling poisons . During World War I , the French army was the first to employ gas , using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas ( ethyl bromoacetate ) in August 1914 . The small quantities of gas delivered , roughly 19 cm3 per cartridge , were not even detected by the Germans . The stocks were rapidly consumed and by November a new order was placed by the French military . As bromine was scarce among the Entente allies , the active ingredient was changed to chloroacetone . </P>
<P> The most frequently used chemicals during World War I were tear - inducing irritants rather than fatal or disabling poisons . During World War I , the French army was the first to employ gas , using 26 mm grenades filled with tear gas ( ethyl bromoacetate ) in August 1914 . The small quantities of gas delivered , roughly 19 cm3 per cartridge , were not even detected by the Germans . The stocks were rapidly consumed and by November a new order was placed by the French military . As bromine was scarce among the Entente allies , the active ingredient was changed to chloroacetone . </P>
when was tear gas first used in ww1
when was tear gas first used in ww1
August 1914
August 1914