Chemical weapons munitions

The six countries to have declared chemical weapons are required to destroy some 8.5 million items, including munitions and containers. As of April 2005,167 countries had joined the OPCW. ° All declared chemical weapons production capacity had been inactivated, with two-thirds of the declared facilities either verifiably destroyed or converted for peaceful purposes. With respect to chemical weapons, the inventory of all declared stockpiles had been completed and verified, but less than one-quarter of the declared 8.5 million chemical weapon munitions had been verifiably destroyed. Of the 70,000 tonnes of declared chemical weapons agents, only about 15 per cent had been verifiably destroyed just a tiny drop of nerve agent the size of a pin head can kill an adult within minutes of exposure. Almost 5,000 industrial facilities around the world are liable for inspection the OPCW had conducted almost 2,000 inspections at 170 military and 600 industrial sites in 68 countries. 

Because the remediation efforts at Spring Valley did not address all of the areas of concern reflected in the Historical Report, serious questions remain over the adequacy of the search for unexploded ordnance as well as the survey for residual contamination from the toxic substances used in the research. There are five areas of research findings that bear on the issue of whether or not a potential for more buried chemical weapons munitions exists ... 

First, past experience at other sites indicates a tendency to bury excess munitions. And, as noted, buried chemical weapons munitions have already been found at the Spring Valley site. Second, as the District of Columbia has seen above, the production of chemical warfare agents was very large. The operation had 1200 chemists and engineers and 700 support personnel. If each chemist used only one small bottle of dangerous chemicals a week, that is a lot of material. 

Vela, O., Lewis, P., Roberts, R., Chen, J., and Sinha, D. (1995) Acoustic Classification of Chemical Weapons Munitions, Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-UR-95-1073. 

Within a given time frame, CWC member countries must declare all of their chemical weapons production facilities, all CW stockpiles and storage facilities, any chemical weapon munitions (filled or unfilled), and all abandoned CW agents and munitions. 

C-I/DEC.26 adopted by the Conference of the States Parties at its First Session on 16 May 1997 and entitled Destroyed chemical weapons munitions retained for display or training purposes ... 

Adopts the concept concerning destroyed chemical weapons munitions retained for display or training purposes, armexed hereto. 

First, past experience at other sites indicates a tendency to bury excess munitions. And, as noted, buried chemical weapons munitions have already been found at the... 

The Army terminology for destruction of obsolete weapons Is "demilitarization". This term encompasses all the steps required to disassemble and safely destroy or decontaminate the component materials of which the munition was constructed. National Academy of Sciences and Department of the Army Guidance for demilitarization of obsolete chemical weapons (t) requires absolute safety and security, assurance of total containment of agent during processing, maximum protection of operating personnel and Incontrovertible evidence verifying the destruction of the toxic wastes. 

M M2 8 MACT MAV MDB MDM MEO MPA MPa MPT MSB molar concentration energetic material used for propulsion of certain assembled chemical weapons maximum achievable control technology modified ammunition van munitions demilitarization building munitions demilitarization machine mediated electrochemical oxidation methylphosphonic acid megapascals metal parts treater munitions storage building... 

In accordance with the terms of the international Chemical Weapons Convention, which became effective April 29, 1997, the signatories, including the United States, are to have destroyed their stockpiles of chemical agents and munitions by April 29, 2007. 

Demilitarization of Chemical Weapons On-Site Handling of Munitions (1989)... 

Under joint sponsorship by the U. S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) and the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), a bench-scale transpiring wall reactor was developed by Sandia National Laboratories, FWDC, and GenCorp Aerojet. The reactor, which uses SCWO, was designed to treat military and other liquid wastes. A commercial application of the technology is in use to destroy munitions, colored smokes, and dyes. SWCO may also provide a viable alternative to incineration for the destruction of chemical weapons. 

Chemical weapons (CW) Munitions and other delivery systems that contain chemical substances intended to injure or kill or incapacitate personnel or to deny access or use of area, facilities, and materials. 

Chemical agents (Munitions)—Safety measures. 2. Biological weapons—... 

Chemical Munitions. In a broad sense, any and all supplies and equipment required to conduct offensive or defensive war by means of chemical agents. This includes chemical weapons, chemical ammunition, transport and fuel, but excludes personnel and supplies and equipment for purposes other than for direct military operations. In a restricted sense, the term means chemical ordnance, which includes chemical military materiel, such as combat weapons with ammunition and equipment for their use, vehicles, repair tools and machinery (See also Chemical Ammunition)... 

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