In World War I, ethyl bromoacetate was used as a lachrymatory agent and tear gas agent for chemical warfare under the German code Weisskreuz , and later as odorant or warning agent in odourless, toxic gases. It is listed by the WHO as a riot control agent, and was first employed for that purpose by French police in 1912. The French may have employed gas grenades of this substance in 1914 during World War I. The German army then used this attack to justify their subsequent employment of chemical weapons in 1915.