Non-lethal agents

The Conference did not result in a radical change of direction for the OPCW or substantive decisions on crucial, still outstanding issues (e g. so called non-lethal agents, riot control agents, law enforcement , nil declarations in respect of OCPFs and like. The problems of scientific and technological development were tackled only very generally. 

Chemical Corps. During this period, the U.S. made serious efforts to develop a new class of weapons the incapacitants - otherwise referred to as non-lethal agents. And it is here that this book picks up the story. 

Lynn Klotz, Martin Furmanski, and Mark Wheelis don t think so. In an article on the Internet, titled Beware the Siren s Song Non-Lethal Agents are not Non-Lethal, they draw some conclusions that I contest. For example, they assert that to be conservative, we should compare the dose of a drug required to incapacitate 99% of the target population with the dose that would cause death in 1%. They present a mathematical model that assumes the likelihood of incapacitation to be equal to the percentage of nerve cell receptors occupied by the chemical agent. 

Incapacitating - Non-Lethal Agents are defined as those compounds which... 

Convention that deal with RCAs and the legitimate use of toxic chemicals for law enforcement purposes. The SAB noted that the science related to such agents is rapidly evolving, and that results of current programmes to develop such non-lethal agents should be monitored and assessed in terms of their relevance to the Convention. However, based on past experience and the fact that many of these compounds act on the central nervous system, it appears unlikely from a scientific point of view that compounds with a sufficient safety ratio would be found. 

Capsaicin (12.3) is the active, hot, ingredient in chili peppers. It has found uses medicinally in ointments to relieve neuropathic pain such as that in shingles and is widely employed as oleoresin capsicum (OC) or pepper spray for personal defense and as a non-lethal agent in riot control. It is a potent lachrymator and causes pain to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes and temporary breathing difficulties. Its use in warfare is prohibited... 

The effectiveness of non-lethal doses of agent sarin, a strong inhibitor of both RBC (true) and plasma (pseudo) cholinesterase, was impressive (Fig. 70). In two subjects who were treated with the same dose of sarin, however, the benefit was greater in one (red) than the other (yellow). Differences in RBC cholinesterase inhibition may explain this disparity. In studies b Drs. Sidell and Aghajanian, levels of plasma cholinesterase were sometimes reduced almost to zero by sarin, without producing clinical signs of toxicity (note reversal in upper legend, which has plasma as xx and RBC as yy )-... 

Song Why Non-Lethal Chemical Agents are Lethal. Federation of American Scientists Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program, March 2003... 

From what has been said above, it is evident that high toxicity, while an important factor, does not solely determine the utility of warfare gairritant agent of even low intrinsic toxicity becomes extremely cff( etive when not countered by the protection of the gas mask, so that some sacrifice of toxicity value is clearly warranted if this ser es to circumvent or increase the burden of protection. Thus, forcing the enemy to mask frequently becomes an end in itself, which is attained positively and most efficiently by the irritant non lethal gases. 

See also CS Gas Non-Lethal Weapons, Chemical Riot Control Agents. 

These agents are considered less than lethal and non-lethal because they have a very large safety ratio. That is, their effective dose or concentration ECtso is very low compared to their lethal dose or concentration (LCt5o). 

The SAB was also aware of concerns about the development of new riot control agents (RCAs), and other so-called non-lethal ... 

Convulsives and calmatives may rely on their toxic properties to have a physiological effect on humans. If that is the case, and these two NLWs (Non-Lethal Weapons) are not considered RCAs (Riot Control Agents), in order to avoid being classified as a prohibited chemical weapon, they would have to be used for the article I(9)(d) purpose not prohibited" the law enforcement purpose. As discussed... the limits of this purpose not prohibited are not clear and will be determined by the practice of states (emphasis added). 

From a scientific and technical point of view the major problem with so-called NLW lies in the fact that they are not non-lethal, as the Moscow theatre situation has clearly demonstrated here about 130 of the 830 hostages present in the theatre died of the effects of the gas used. This represents a percentage of approximately 16 per cent. Compared with the lethality of conventional, commonly assumed to be lethal weapons there is no significant difference the use of firearms in combat have resulted in 35 per cent fatalities, mines 20 per cent and grenades around 10 per cent.54 World War I chemical warfare agents like chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas, which are prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, have an even lower lethality of around 7 per cent.55... 

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