Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

November 30 is the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Weapons, and its establishment is long overdue It is believed that chemical weapons were first used en masse during the First World War About 100,000 people were injured, including soldiers of the Russian Empire Only after humanity saw in practice the horrors associated with the effects of gases on surrounding people and nature, it was decided to classify such methods of combat as prohibited It cannot be said that today these restrictions are strictly observed From time to time, even today, we hear that some local conflicts involve harmful substances that affect a person’s respiratory system, vision, skin, causing them to die in agony or making them disabled This Day has been celebrated since 2006, although numerous conventions prohibiting the use of toxic substances were developed much earlier It is observed everywhere, including in European countries and in Germany, which is believed to be the first to begin such inhumane experiments, testing gas containing chlorine on enemy soldiers, that is, on soldiers of states that are members of the Entente: the Russian Empire, Great Britain, France and some others Of course, it became obvious that such methods of warfare are inhumane, and there is no military reason or conflict that would justify their use Fortunately, numerous conventions and declarations have made it possible to significantly reduce the stockpile of chemical weapons in the world Although there are still states that do not sign any international agreements, conventions, and formally they have no obligations to the world community This means that we must always be aware of the risk of repeating such inhumane methods of warfare Remembrance Day is intended to attract the attention of all humanity to this problem Toxic substances kill not only people, but also animals, destroying flora and fauna within a radius of tens of kilometers Moreover, it subsequently takes decades to restore the natural landscape The international community is monitoring the conditions in which ammunition that can produce toxic substances is stored in different countries of the world Work in this direction is underway, and largely thanks to such dates it is possible to attract public attention to the problem Since November 30 is not a classic holiday, but is Remembrance Day, it is celebrated accordingly In particular, many historical programs and documentaries are broadcast on television, demonstrating how destructive such methods of warfare are and the huge number of victims they lead to Forums and international meetings are often held at which related issues are raised: assistance to victims of armed conflicts, strengthening arms control, etc International environmental communities are also active, discussing problems of environmental pollution not only due to military operations, but also due to inadequate control over toxic chemicals used in industry and production From time to time, information appears in the media about man-made disasters, accidents that lead to the leakage of chlorine and petroleum products into the environment, causing the death of marine life and animals, and people are forced to leave their homes On this Day it is customary to popularize science There are many people who wish to devote their lives to the petrochemical industry, pharmaceuticals and related fields It is important to always remember the great responsibility of scientists, whose developments can result in a new disaster for humanity and an environmental disaster