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Miosis, when the pupil constricts more than usual, may also occur, which is probably the result of the cholinomimetic activity of mustard. In these severe and infrequent cases, corneal transplantation has been used as a treatment option.

Extreme ocular exposure to mustard gas vapors may result in corneal ulceration, anterior chamber scarring, and neovascularization. If the victim's eyes were exposed, then they become sore, starting with conjunctivitis (also known as pink eye), after which the eyelids swell, resulting in temporary blindness.

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Mustard gases easily penetrate clothing fabrics such as wool or cotton, so it is not only exposed skin that gets burned. These are chemical burns and are very debilitating. If this irritation goes untreated, blisters filled with yellow fluid ( pus) can form wherever the agent contacted the skin. Within 24 hours of exposure, they experience intense itching and skin irritation. Because people exposed to mustard agents rarely suffer immediate symptoms, and contaminated areas may appear completely normal, victims can unknowingly receive high doses. Furthermore, they are highly lipophilic, which accelerates their absorption into the body. Their alkylating capabilities make them strongly carcinogenic and mutagenic. Mustard gases are extremely toxic and have powerful blistering effects on victims. Mustard gases react with DNA, which interferes with cellular division and can lead to mutations. Physiological effects Soldier with moderate mustard agent burns sustained during World War I showing characteristic bullae on the neck, armpit, and hands These compounds have a similar ability to alkylate DNA, but their physical properties vary. Other such compounds are bis(2-haloethyl)ethers (oxygen mustards), the (2-haloethyl)amines ( nitrogen mustards), and sesquimustard, which has two α-chloroethyl thioether groups (ClC 2H 4S−) connected by an ethylene bridge (−C 2H 4−). Such compounds can form cyclic 'onium' ions (sulfonium, ammonium, etc.) that are good alkylating agents. In the wider sense, compounds with the structural element BC 2H 4X, where X is any leaving group and B is a Lewis base, are known as mustards. Oxidative stress would be another pathology involved in mustard gas toxicity. Alternatively, if cell death is not immediate, the damaged DNA can lead to the development of cancer. These very reactive intermediates tend to permanently alkylate nucleotides in DNA strands, which can prevent cellular division, leading to programmed cell death. Sulfur mustards readily eliminate chloride ions by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution to form cyclic sulfonium ions. Mechanism of cellular toxicity Mustard gas alkylating an amino group via conversion to a sulfonium ion (2-chloroethylthiiranium) Mustard agents can be deployed by means of artillery shells, aerial bombs, rockets, or by spraying from aircraft. Today, sulfur-based and nitrogen-based mustard agents are regulated under Schedule 1 of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, as substances with few uses other than in chemical warfare (though since then, mustard gas has been found to be useful in cancer chemotherapy ). As a chemical weapon, mustard gas was first used in World War I, and has been used in several armed conflicts since then, including the Iran–Iraq War, resulting in more than 100,000 casualties. Sulfur mustard is a type of chemical warfare agent.

The typical mustard gas is the organosulfur compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide. Mustard gases form blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs, often resulting in prolonged illness ending in death. When pure, they are colorless, but when used in impure forms, such as in warfare, they are usually yellow-brown. Sulfur mustards are viscous liquids at room temperature and have an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic, or horseradish, hence the name. The name mustard gas is technically incorrect: the substances, when dispersed, are often not gases but a fine mist of liquid droplets.

Also known as mustard agents, this family of compounds are infamous cytotoxins and blister agents with a long history of use as chemical weapons.

Such compounds are potent alkylating agents, which can interfere with several biological processes. In the wider sense, compounds with the substituent S(CH 2CH 2X) 2 and N(CH 2CH 2X) 3 are known as sulfur mustards and nitrogen mustards, respectively, where X = Cl or Br. Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is any of several chemical compounds that contain the chemical structure S(CH 2CH 2Cl) 2.