Gas bombs in Iraq

Here are some pertinent quotes from articles on these chlorine bombs:

"The attacks seem to have been poorly executed, burning the chemical agent rather than dispersing it, but more sophisticated weapons involving chlorine could injure hundreds and cause mass panic."  (New York Times, Feb. 21)

"Chemists said that exploding high-pressure canisters are at best a crude way to disperse the green gas. Some would burn off, and the rest of the gas, which is heavier than air, would be unlikely to spread much beyond the blast zone."  (Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22)

"For the moment, they are still very crude bombs, with the chlorine dissipating by the force of the explosion.

Still, the result is the chemicals manage to spread a limited but deadly cloud of toxic gas once the bomb explodes."  (UPI, Feb. 22)

The gas used in the booming in Iraq does not burn after the bomb explodes; it stays in the vicinity of the exploding and with time mixes with air.

The gas his chlorine and you can read more about it here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine