Chemical warfare agents defined

Chemical weapons are those weapons capable of disseminating chemical warfare agents, defined by a United Nations report as chemical substances, whether gaseous, liquid, or solid, which might be employed because of their direct toxic effects on man, animals and plants . This definition, unlike that of the United States Department of Defense,... 

Since QSAR models for narcosis toxicity based on Kn/W are available for many endpoints and species, it has become a popular approach applied for screening the ecological risk posed by substances for which no data are available. ECOSAR itself, with 150 relationships defined for over 50 chemical classes, has been used to predict toxicity and estimate hazards for chemical warfare agents in marine environments [96], pharmaceuticals [102-104], direct and indirect food additives, and industrial chemicals [105]. Although there are several QSAR and other predictive tools currently available, this section focuses on ECOSAR as it is one of the most widely and easily used. 

While chemical warfare agents have been used for decades in military conflict, it is only in the last two decades that increasing attention has been placed on the acute and chronic health effects associated with exposure to these agents. The Gulf War of 1991 and the subsequent reports of ill-defined illnesses in the veterans of that conflict, followed by the 1995 sarin terrorist event in the Japanese subway system, placed increased attention on the capacity of deliberate or accidental exposure to chemical warfare agents resulting in significant human death and subsequent disability. 

The physical properties of a chemical warfare agent play an important part in defining the hazard presented by that agent The physical state (gas, liquid or solid) is important in determining the conditions and manner in which an agent would be used and dispersed.The vapour pressure gives an indication of both the vapour hazard and the persistency of the agent in the field. The solubility in water (and rate of hydrolysis) affects persistency in the environment, ease of decontamination and possible threat to water supplies. The viscosity affects the persistency, ability to penetrate surfaces and ease of decontamination. The... 

The United States does not recognize riot control agents as chemical warfare agents as defined in the Geneva Convention of 1925. The Geneva Gas Protocol of 1925 was ratified by the United States on 22 January 1975. At that time, the United States interpreted the protocol as prohibiting the first use of lethal chemicals, but not of nonlethal ones such as riot control agents or herbicides. 

The CWC has a wide scope, defining chemical weapons as munitions or other devices, specifically designed to cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals (but not plants). It thereby encompasses past, known and possible chemical warfare agents, including toxins such as ricin and saxitoxin, and refers, in its preamble, to the principles of international law which prohibit the use of herbicides as a method of warfare. It divides these chemicals and many of their precursors into three categories known as schedules. In Schedule 1, it effectively bans 12 groups of chemicals from manufacturing industry and commerce,... 

Misuse of various chemicals including industrial pesticides, toxic substances, and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) requires adequate personal protective equipment and immediate skin decontamination [151]. Since the time of World War 11, scientists have made a concerted effort to improve prophylactic and therapeutic interventions to counteract cutaneous exposure to CWAs [147]. To curtail dermal systemic exposure to environmental contaminants, most material safety data sheets (MSDSs) recommend either water rinsing or soap-and-water decontamination to remove chemicals from the skin surface [152, 153]. However, it is vital that the skin be washed in such a way that does not elicit the wash-in (W-I) effect [154], The W-1 effect is defined as an enhancement of percutaneous absorption elicited specifically by skin decontamination, particularly with water. It simply means that as some chemical contaminants are washed off the skin, the chemical substance may also wash into the skin and thus become more systemically bioavailable. 

CW AGENT Chemical Warfare Agents. A United Nations report from 1969 defines chemical warfare agents as chemical substances, whether gaseous, liquid, or solid, that might be used because of their toxic effects on humans, animals, and plants (e.g.. Mustard agents. Sarin). 

J.P. Perry Robinson, Binary Nerve Gas Weapons in SIPRI, Chemical Disarmament New Weapons for Old, p. 26. The Soviet Union defines binaries differently - as a cocktail of different chemical warfare agents, rather than the precursors of an existing agent. See J. Hemsley, op. 

BacteriologicaKor Germ) and Nuclear Warfare. Chemical warfare(CW) may be defined as the tactics and technique of using chemical agents (qv) in offensive action, or of employing defensive measures against such actions(Ref... 

The foundation of the CWC s inspection activities was based around the declaration by member states of their chemical weapons capabilities and activities. Nations with chemical warfare programmes were required to declare their production, storage and destruction facilities, which would then receive top monitoring priority. Nevertheless, the CWC did allow states to maintain research programmes to ensure the integrity of defensive equipment such as gas masks and gas detectors, but these activities were also to be closely monitored since they involved work with the chemical agents listed on Schedule l.9 Otherwise, all other warfare agents, mustard gas, Lewisite, soman, sarin, tabun, VX and the capability to produce them were to be eliminated under the watchful eyes of international inspectors (Table 8.1).10 The convention thus defined chemical weapons as any toxic chemical, or its precursors, intended for purposes other than those not prohibited under this convention for... 

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