suffocating gas

suf·fo·cat·ing gas

a gas (for example, chlorine or phosgene) that causes intense irritation of the bronchial tubes and lungs, resulting in pulmonary edema.

suffocating gas

Military medicine
A chemical war gas (e.g., chlorine or phosgene) that causes extreme irritation and damage of the respiratory tract and lungs. While such gases were banned by the Geneva Protocol in 1929, they continue to be periodically used in modern warfare.

Occupational medicine
A generic term for gas (e.g., methane, nitrogen, etc.) in a coal mine or other enclosed space which, by replacing normal respiratory gases, causes suffocation.

suffocating gas

Any of several war gases, such as phosgene or diphosgene, made from chlorine compounds that irritate or injure the airways.

See: lung irritant gas; war gas

See also: gas