Featured Articles Archive
Treaty Issues in Depth
2009 BWC Meeting of Experts
From August 24-28, 2009, a Meeting of Experts for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was held in Geneva, marking the start of the third segment of the four-year intersessional work program agreed upon by States Parties at the Sixth BWC Review Conference in 2006. The topic of focus for the 2009 segment is capacity building in disease surveillance, and the theme for the Meeting of Experts was Information for Action. [Full Story]
Agents and Ammo in Depth
Lewisite (L)
 Chemical structure of lewisite |
It was during World War I (WWI) that modern military chemical warfare emerged. Once immersed in that “Great Conflict,” the United States’ need for chemical warfare research became a priority and the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) was established. (For more information, see Featured Article Chemical Warfare in World War I.) The need for research chemists quickly grew, and, before the war’s end, more than 10 percent of all chemists in the United States become involved in this effort.
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Treaty Issues in Depth
Worldwide Progress on Chemical Weapons Destruction
 Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility Munitions Handlers watch the last Enhanced Onsite Container carrying VX M55 rockets being lifted by an overhead crane into the disposal facility's container handling building. Photo courtesy of CMA. |
On March 26, India notified the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the completion of the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile. With this achievement, India became the third nation to eliminate its declared chemical weapons stockpile. Albania completed its destruction in July 2007, and another State Party followed suit in 2008.
Seven States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) have declared possession of chemical weapons (CW). [Full Story]
A Note from History
Chemical Weapons in World War I
 French soldiers making a gas and flame attack on German trenches in Flanders, Belgium, 1917. Image courtesy of www.Archives.gov. |
"It was Thursday evening, April 22, 1915. . . . As we gazed in the direction of the bombardment, where our line joined the French, six miles away, we could see in the failing light the flash of shrapnel with here and there the light of a rocket. But more curious than anything was a low cloud of yellow-grey smoke or vapour, and, underlying everything, a dull confused murmuring. Suddenly down the road from the Yser Canal came a galloping team of horses, the riders goading on their mounts in a frenzied way; then another and another, till the road became a seething mass with a pall of dust over all. Plainly something terrible was happening. . . ."
[Full Story]
Agents and Ammo in Depth
Ebola Virus
 Ebola Virus |
[Full Story]
CW Issues in Depth
Toxic Industrial Chemicals and the CWC
 Highly Toxic Chemical |
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, or transfer of toxic chemicals intended for use as chemical weapons. At the same time, the Convention also protects the rights of States Parties to develop, produce, store, and transfer toxic chemicals intended for peaceful purposes. This article examines the measures in place within the CWC to accomplish both of these objectives. [Full Story]
BW Issues in Depth
Emerging Dual-Use Technologies
Biological research conducted for defensive purposes relies on the same scientific principles and technology that could be used to develop offensive biological weapons. The difference between peaceful and hostile use of any technology, process, or instrument is that of intent, which is difficult, if not impossible, to measure. This dual-use phenomenon presents unique problems for balancing scientific advancement against measures to prevent the development of biological weapons. [Full Story]
Agents & Ammo in Depth
Hydrolysate: Wastewater Byproduct of CW Neutralization
 Hydrolysate: Wastewater Byproduct of CW Neutralization |
Hydrolysate is a wastewater byproduct of a chemical agent neutralization process called caustic hydrolysis. This technology was developed as an alternative to incineration as a means for destroying chemical weapons. However, the caustic byproduct, hydrolysate, produced by hydrolysis must also be eliminated.
Currently, the Army has elected to transport hydrolysate waste to off-site facilities for final treatment. [Full Story]
A Note from History
Aum Shinrikyo
 Shoko Asahara |
On March 20, 1995, during morning rush hour, five men entered different trains on the Tokyo subway system, each carrying two or three plastic bags covered with newspapers. At a given time, the men removed the newspapers and punctured the bags using sharpened umbrella tips, and quickly exited the trains. As the liquid from the packages spread and evaporated into the air of the subway trains, people began to cough, choke, convulse, and collapse. By the end of the day, twelve people were dead, and almost 4,000 people were injured.
[Full Story]
Agents and Ammo in Depth
Nerve Agents
 VX Structure |
In the early 1930s, a German company called I. G. Farbenindustrie began investigating chemical compounds called organophosphates for potential use as insecticides. In December 1936, Dr. Gerhard Schrader, who headed this research effort for the company, synthesized a highly toxic organophosphate that would later be given the name Tabun. Over a year later, he synthesized a second organophosphorous compound that he called Sarin. [Full Story]
Treaty Issues in Depth
Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention
The Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) convened from April 7-19, 2008 in The Hague. Ambassador Waleed Ben Abdel Karim El Khereiji of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia served as Chairperson. In addition to the States Parties represented, the Review Conference extended observer status to three attending non-signatory states: Angola, Iraq, and Lebanon. Twenty-eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in open sessions and several international organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of the European Union, and the League of Arab States, participated in a special session. [Full Story]
Treaty Issues in Depth
Biological Weapons Convention Update
Last year, two meetings were held in Geneva concerning the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BWC). A Meeting of Experts was held from 20 to 24 August 2007, and a Meeting of States Parties to the BWC took place from 10 to 14 December, both concerning the topics of national implementation and regional cooperation for implementation. These meetings completed the first segment of the four-year intersessional work program agreed upon by States Parties at the Sixth BWC Review Conference in 2006. [Full Story]
A Note from History
Yellow Rain
 Bee droppings, resembling yellow rain |
1975, following the Vietnam War, the communist governments of Vietnam and Laos launched a retaliatory campaign against Hmong tribesmen in northern Laos, who had sided with the United States during the war and continued to resist communist rule. That summer, reports came from Laos claiming that government forces were using Soviet-supplied chemical weapons to drive the Hmong out of their mountain hideaways. Refugees reported that toxic agents were being delivered by low-flying aircraft; most described an oily, yellow liquid that sounded like rain when it struck leaves or roofs, earning it the nickname "yellow rain." [Full Story]
Agents & Ammo in Depth
Toxins
 Castor plant: Ricinus communis |
Toxins are poisonous biochemicals that are produced by living organisms. Toxins are distinct from other chemical agents in that they are more structurally complex and are naturally occurring (although a few toxins can be synthetically produced in laboratories). Unlike other types of biological agents—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and plants—toxins are not living organisms. This is significant in that toxins do not self-reproduce, and do not respond to antibiotic drugs. Because of their unique characteristics, toxins are prohibited by both the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). [Full Story]
Chem-Bio Book Review
Microterrors: The Complete Guide to Bacterial, Viral, and Fungal Infections that Threaten our Health
By Tony Hart, MBBS, BSc, PhD, FRCPCH, FRCPath
From its title, a reader might surmise that Microterrors was a science fiction thriller. Instead, this small, 192-page volume is actually a compact reference guide profiling over 150 pathogens that can cause disease in humans. Systematically organized information and colorful graphics combine to make Microterrors an easy-to-use guide suitable for either quick reference or cover-to-cover reading. [Full Story]
Treaty Issues in Depth
Chemical Weapons Convention Update
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) will hold its second review conference from 7-18 April 2008. Since its entry-into-force in April 1997, the CWC went from 87 States Parties to 182 Member States, which represents over 98 percent of the world’s population. Currently there are only six signatory states and seven non-signatory states to the Convention. [Full Story]
Agents & Ammo in Depth
Foot and Mouth Disease Virus
Since the beginning of August, around 2,000 cows in the United Kingdom have died as a result of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Trade restrictions have caused significant losses to the British meat industry. The current outbreak is small in scale compared to an earlier outbreak in 2001, in which over six million animals died and which cost the country an estimated £4 billion (around $6.4 billion). In both instances, the animals did not die from infection, but were killed in order to prevent further spread of the disease. FMD is considered the most economically devastating livestock disease in the world, and the virus that causes it could potentially be used as a weapon of agroterrorism. [Full Story]
Treaty Issues in Depth
BWC Sixth Review Conference
Last December, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, more commonly known as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), held its Sixth Review Conference (RevCon) in Geneva. The three week meeting ran from November 20 to December 8, 2006, and was considered to be a moderately successful RevCon. The States Parties reached consensus on a number of key issues. These included: a new intersessional work program; creating an implementation support unit; promoting confidence building measures (CBMs), and promoting universalization of the Convention. [Full Story].
Agents & Ammo In Depth
Tularemia
Last fall, biohazard sensors on the Mall in Washington, D.C. detected low levels of the bacteria Francisella tularensis which causes tularemia. Although these levels were too low to be a health threat to the public, authorities were still notified in order to be on the outlook for possible cases. The presence of the bacteria was not deemed intentional; the detection of it was suspected to have been due to environmental factors.1 This incident highlights F. tularensis and its possible use as a biological weapon. [Full Story]
Agents & Ammo In Depth
Sarin
Last month an artillery shell containing sarin exploded in Iraq, exposing several U.S. troops to this deadly chemical. The bomb is believed to have been left over from the Iran-Iraq war, but since it was unmarked, it is not known whether the attackers knew the bomb contained sarin. This incident brings into focus a potent chemical weapon that has been, and continues to be, pursued for nefarious reasons.
[Full Story]
A Note from History
The Siege of Caffa
The siege of the Crimean city of Caffa in 1346 CE by invading Mongol hordes is often cited as the most important and recognizable among the first recorded incidents of biological warfare—and the primary cause of the spread of the plague to Europe.
The city of Caffa (now Feodosija, Ukraine), established in 1266 CE by agreement with the Mongols on the Black Sea, was an important trading hub between Genoa and the Far East. In 1289 CE the city fell under the suzerainty of the Khan of the Golden Horde. [Full Story]
Treaty Issues in Depth
Deadly Legacy: Japanese ACW in China
Japanese scientists began to develop chemical weapons in 1917. By World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army had a chemical weapons arsenal of five to seven million munitions, containing phosgene, mustard, lewisite, hydrogen cyanide, and diphenyl cyanarsine. [Japan color-coded its chemical weapons shells. Click here to find out more.] China claims that Japan used chemical weapons 2,900 times during World War II, killing both Chinese soldiers and civilians. The latest casualty of Japanese WWII-era chemical shells died in August 2003. [Full Story]
Agents & Ammo In Depth
Binary Chemical Munitions: U.S. and Chinese Notional Designs
Compared to traditional unitary chemical ordnance, binary chemical weapons have been traditionally viewed with having advantages in terms of logistical safety in their handling. About 20 years ago during the Cold War, the United States invested large sums of money and effort into developing binary chemical weapons as part of a modernization program. It also appears that the Chinese military also seriously considered the idea of developing its own binary weapons, including a rocket for a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). Due to per unit cost and other factors, however, it is not likely that China produced any of these in quantity.... [Full Story]
A Note from History
Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky: Russia's "Red Napoleon"
Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky, one of the most brilliant—if ruthless—generals of the Soviet Red Army, was among the first to have formulated a doctrine combining elements of mechanized warfare with offensive chemical weapons. As early as 1921, Tukhachevsky saw the role of chemical warfare agents for various operations, including the pacification of a peasant rebellion in the Tambov region (central Russia). Reported Tukhachevsky,...
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Treaty Issues in Depth
The BWC Intersessional Work Plan
The intersessional work plan of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is the program of activity agreed to by the States Parties to fill the interval between the Fifth Review Conference (Fifth RevCon) and the Sixth Review Conference (Sixth RevCon). The intersessional work plan consists of a series of meetings designed to provide the States Parties with the opportunity to discuss ways of increasing cooperation and strengthening compliance with the Convention following rejection of the draft Protocol during the Fifth RevCon. [Full Story]
A Note from History
Early Use of Chemical Weapons in Warfare
In the form of poisoned arrows, toxic roots and even windblown dirt, chemical weapons have been in use for thousands of years. As early as 590 B.C., Solon of Athens is said to have used hellebore roots (a purgative) to poison a water aqueduct during the siege of Cirrha, and later on, the ancient Chinese, Romans, and Greeks employed their own chemical warfare tactics and agents. Although crude by today's standards, early chemical weapons were nonetheless effective enough to play a valuable role in warfare throughout the course of history. [Full Story]
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