S.S.

Jain Subodh Law College

SUBJECT:ENGLISH

TOPIC: CHEMICAL WEAPON

Submission To: Submitted by:

DR. PRERNA AGARWAL MANSI RATHORE

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Ist SEMESTER (SEC-A)

 DECLARATION

I, MANSI RATHORE, do here by declare that, this research project titled “CHEMICAL WEAPON” is an
outcome of research conducted by me under the guidance of.DR. PRERNA AGARWAL (Assistance
Professor of Law) at S.S. Jain subodh law college in fulfillment for the award of the degree of B.A. LLB. at
the University of Rajasthan.

I also declare that , this work is research work , except where assistance from other sources has been taken
and necessary acknowledgements for the same have been made at appropriate places .I further declared that
,this work has not been submitted either in whole or in part , for any degree or equivalent in any other
institutions .

DATE :

PLACE :

Name of the student:- MANSI RATHORE

 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the research project titled “CHEMICAL WEAPON” Submitted by MANSI RATHORE
in fulfillment for the award of the degree of B.A.LLB. at S.S. Jain subodh law college is the product of research
carried out under my guidance and supervision.

DR. PRERNA AGARWAL

Asst. Prof. of Law

S.S. Jain subodh law college

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I acknowledge with profundity, my obligation to almighty god and my parents for giving me the grace to
accomplish my work , without which this project would not have been possible. I express my heartfelt
gratitude to my respected faculty DR. PRERNA AGARWAL(Asst. Prof. of law) for providing me with
valuable suggestions to complete this dissertation . I am especially greatful to all my faculty members and
seniors at S.S. Jain subodh law college who have helped me imbibe the basic research and writing skills.
Lastly, I take up on myself, the drawbacks and limitations of this study , if any .

DATE :

PLACE:
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. MEANING OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

2. DELIVERY OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

3. USES OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

4. PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

5. CHEMICAL WEAPONS DEFINITION IN THREE PARTS

6. DEFINATIONS RELATED TO CWC

7. TYPES OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

8. THE FIVE MOST DEADLY CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF WAR

 CHEMICAL WEAPON

INTRODUCTION

MEANING OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

A chemical weapon is any toxic chemical that can cause death, injury, incapacitation, and sensory irritation,
deployed via a delivery system, such as an artillery shell, rocket, or ballistic missile. Chemical weapons are
considered weapons of mass destruction and their use in armed conflict is a violation of international law.

DELIVERY OF CHEMICAL WEAPON

Cruise missiles. Unlike ballistic missiles, which utilize explosives to discharge the agent, cruise missiles can
disperse chemical agents in a gradual and controlled fashion.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs are another platform that combatants may utilize to disperse chemical
agents. Like cruise missiles, UAVs are ideal platforms for slower dissemination due to controllable speeds,
and dispersal over a wide area. UAVs can fly below radar detection and change directions, allowing them to
be A chemical weapon attack occurs in two phases: delivery and dissemination. The delivery phase refers to
the launching of the rocket, bomb, or artillery shell. The dissemination phase involves the dispersal of the
chemical agent from the weapon.

Chemical weapons can be delivered via a variety of mechanisms including but not limited to; ballistic
missiles, air dropped gravity bombs, rockets, artillery shells, aerosol canisters, land mines, and mortars.

Artillery shells are conventional shells that have been converted to disperse chemical weapons. The most
traditional delivery vehicle of chemical agents, dispersion occurs through an explosive charge that expels the
chemical agent laterally.

Air delivered systems can be deployed via gravity bombs, spray tank, or rockets. Ground detonated and
airburst gravity bombs are generally delivered through fixed wing aircraft, while helicopters have been
traditionally deployed with spray tanks and rockets.

Ballistic missiles carrying chemical weapons – via a fill tank or sub munitions - utilize an airburst to disperse
chemical agents over a broad area. The use of sub munitions increases the area in which chemical agents
can be dispersed. Compared to other delivery systems, ballistic missiles expand the range of targets that
combatants can target with chemical weapons. However, the use of explosives to disperse the chemical
agent reduces the potency of the weapon in combat situations.

retargeted during flight.

Dissemination is the most critical phase of a chemical weapon and generally determines its effectiveness.
Generally, dissemination has been done via explosives that expel the agent laterally. Other forms of
dissemination include aerodynamic dissemination, a non-explosive delivery mechanism that deploys the
chemical agent through dispersion lines.
III. When have chemical weapons been used?

The use of harmful chemicals in warfare, personal attacks, and assassinations dates back centuries, but the
rise of industrial production of chemicals in the late 19th century opened the door to more massive use of
chemical agents in combat. The first major use of chemicals on the battlefield was in World War I when
Germany released chlorine gas from pressurized cylinders in April 1915 at Ypres, Belgium. Ironically, this
1
attack did not technically violate the 1899 Hague Peace Conference Declaration, the first international
attempt to limit chemical agents in warfare, which banned only “the use of projectiles the sole object of
which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases.” Historians estimate that, with the introduction
of mustard gases in 1917, chemical weapons and agents injured some one million soldiers and killed
100,000 during the 1914-1918 war.

The 1925 Geneva Protocol sought to ban the use of biological and chemical weapons, but many of its
signers joined with major reservations. China, France, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom all joined
in the 1920s, but Japan did not join until 1970 and the United States until 1975. Between the two world
wars, there were a number of reports of use of chemical weapons in regional conflicts: Morocco in 1923-
1926, Tripolitania (Libya) in 1930, Sinkiang (China) in 1934, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935-1940, and
Manchuria (China) in 1937-1942. World War II saw no major use of chemical weapons on the battlefield,
with the exception of the Sino-Japanese conflict, and both President Franklin Roosevelt and German leader
Adolf Hitler had stated publicly that they were personally against the first use of chemical weapons.
Germany, however, did use deadly chemicals in the gas chambers of the Holocaust.

Most of the major powers in World War II developed, produced, and stockpiled large amounts of chemical
weapons during the war. Since the end of the war in 1945, there have been only sporadic reports of limited
use of chemical weapons, including in the Yemen war of 1963-1967 when Egypt bombed Yemeni villages,
killing some 1,500 people. The United States heavily used herbicides such as Agent Orange and tear gas in
the Vietnam War in the 1960s; although such chemicals are not covered under the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC), some observers saw this as chemical warfare. Iraq used chemical weapons in the 1980-
1988 Iran-Iraq war and against the Kurds in Halabja in 1988. These two cases provoked widespread public
opposition to the horrors and indiscriminate nature of deadly chemical agents and certainly helped advance
CWC negotiations, which had begun in the early 1980s, to their conclusion in 1992.

For more on the history of chemical weapon use see “Abolishing Chemical Weapons: Progress, Challenges,
and Opportunities” in November 2010 Arms Control Today.

The use of the nerve agent sarin by the Japanese terrorist group Aum Shinrikyo in June 1994 in Matsumoto,
Japan, and again on March 20, 1995, in the Tokyo subway system, killing 19 people and injuring some
5,000, suddenly brought to light the potential threat of nonstate actors intent on using weapons of mass
destruction. The first official on-site inspection by the United States of a Russian chemical weapons
stockpile in the Kurgan Oblast along the border of Kazakhstan in July 1994 illustrated that Russian chemical
weapons arsenals left much to be desired regarding security against theft, diversion, and terrorism.

Iraqi insurgents in recent years have combined tanks of chlorine gas with improvised explosive devices, but
with little success. There were reports of the possible limited use of chemical agents by Taliban insurgents in
Afghanistan and by Turkish troops against Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey, but these allegations remain
unproven. In public statements, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda threatened to use nuclear, chemical,
biological, and radiological weapons.

In Syria, intelligence reports by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France assess that the Assad
regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces on numerous occasions since 2012, including
an August 2013 attack in Ghouta, outside of Damascus, that killed more than 1,400 people. The UN-OPCW
Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) has found the Syrian government responsible for numerous chemical

1
Chemicalweapons.com
2.defancenews.com
weapons attacks, including in April 2014, March 2015, March 2016 and April 2017 and the Islamic State
responsible for chemical weapons attacks in August 2015 and September 2016. Reports of chemical
weapons use in Syria continue to surface. For a complete timeline of Syrian chemical weapons use
see Timeline of Syrian Chemical Weapons Activity, 2012-2018.

Kurdish and Iraqi military forces claim the Islamic State used chlorine gas in attacks in December 2014 and
March 2015 in Iraq, but these accounts have not been verified by the OPCW.

In February 2017, North Korean agents used VX, a nerve agent, to assassinate Kim Jong-nam, the half-
brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In March 2018, the UK accused Russia of using a Novichok agent to assassinate a former Russian spy,
Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, in the UK.

IV. Are chemical weapons prohibited?

Yes. The horrendous and widespread use of chemical weapons in World War I prompted international
efforts to curb the use and production of chemical agents.

The two major protocols that target chemical weapons are the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC). The former provides the initial international legal framework for controls on
the use of chemical weapons, while the latter establishes comprehensive international standards that ban the
development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, use, transfer, or retention of chemical weapons for all
CWC state parties.

1925 Geneva Protocol: Signed in 1925, the Geneva Protocol was drafted and signed at the Conference for
the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition, and prohibits the use of chemical and
biological weapons in the field of conflict. While it prohibits the use of chemical weapons, the Geneva
Protocol does not regulate the production, research or stockpiling of these weapons. It allows nations to
reserve the right to retaliate with chemical weapons should it be subject to an adversarial chemical attack. It
also does not regulate the use of chemical weapons for internal conflicts. However, over time, through
customary international law, it is widely considered applicable to these conflicts as well. Interest in
verifiable elimination of existing stockpiles of chemical weapons fueled the push for the more robust CWC
in 1993.

CW Definition in Three Parts

Toxic chemicals and their precursors

Toxic chemicals are defined as ‘any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause
death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals’.

This includes all such chemicals, regardless of their origin or of their method of production, and regardless
of whether they are produced in facilities, in munitions or elsewhere.

Munitions or devices
Any munitions or devices specifically designed to inflict harm or cause death through the release of toxic
chemicals.

Among these could be mortars, artillery shells, missiles, bombs, mines or spray tanks.
Equipment ‘directly in connection’ with munitions and devices
 Any equipment specifically designed for use ‘directly in connection’ with the employment of the munitions
and devices identified as chemical weapons

Examples of CWs include, but are not limited to:

 Fully developed chemical weapons and the components of such weapons when stored separately (e.g. binary
munitions).

 Chemicals used to produce chemical weapons (precursors).

 Chemicals used to cause intentional death or harm.

 Items with peaceful civilian uses, when used or intended for chemical weapons use (dual-use items).

 Munitions and devices intended for the delivery of toxic chemicals.

 Equipment directly in connection with aforementioned munitions and devices.

The full and legal definition of a Chemical Weapon can be found in Article II of the Chemical Weapons
Convention.

General Purpose Criterion – Intent

A toxic or precursor chemical may be defined as a chemical weapon depending on its intended purpose.
A toxic or precursor chemical is defined as a chemical weapon unless it has been developed, produced,
stockpiled or used for purposes not prohibited by the Convention.

Any chemical intended for chemical weapons purposes, regardless of whether it is specifically listed in the
Convention or its Annexes (including the three schedules of chemicals) is considered a chemical weapon.

The CWC does not expressly state what ‘chemical weapons purposes’ are. Rather, it defines purposes that
are not prohibited by the Convention.

Principle of Consistency

A toxic chemical held by a State Party in agreement with the “Principle of Consistency” must be produced,
stockpiled or used for a legitimate purpose, and be of a type and quantity appropriate for its “peaceful”
purpose.

Definitions Related to the CWC

Riot Control Agents (RCAs)

A riot control agent is defined as any chemical not listed in a schedule which can produce sensory irritation
or disabling physical effects rapidly in humans and which disappear within a short time following
termination or exposure.

The use of riot control agents as a method of warfare is prohibited by the CWC.
vcvvvvvChemical Weapon Components
The Convention defines each component of a chemical weapon as a chemical weapon — whether assembled
or not, stored together or separately.
A toxic chemical and delivery system, for example, may be stored separately, each in and of itself less than a
fully developed weapon — but each are still considered chemical weapons under the Convention.

Precursor
Any chemical reactant which takes part, at any stage and by whatever method, in the production of a toxic
chemical. This includes any key component of a binary or multicomponent chemical system.

For the purpose of implementing this Convention, precursors which have been identified for the application
of verification measures are listed in Schedules contained in the Annex on Chemicals.

Dual-Use
Dual-use describes chemicals or equipment that can be used for peaceful civilian and commercial purposes,
but can also be used in the creation of weapons or as weapons.

Herbicides
The prohibition of the use of herbicides as a method of warfare is recognised in the CWC Preamble.
However, herbicides are not defined specifically in the Convention.

Herbicides that are intentionally used to harm humans or animals through chemical action on life processes
could be considered a chemical weapon under the general purpose criteria.”

Central Nervous System (CNS) - Acting Chemicals

Central Nervous System acting chemicals, which are sometimes referred to as incapacitating Chemical
Agents (ICAs), are not defined or mentioned by name in the Convention. The Convention does refer to toxic
chemicals that can cause, inter alia, ‘temporary incapacitation’.

The general purpose criterion still holds to the extent that chemicals considered CNS-acting meet the
definition of toxic chemicals.

Toxins

Toxins are toxic chemicals produced by living organisms. These are considered as both chemical and
biological weapons when used in violation of the Convention.

Toxins are toxic chemicals produced by living organisms. These are considered as both chemical and
biological weapons when used in violation of the Convention.

The use of harmful chemicals in warfare, personal attacks, and assassinations dates back centuries, but the
rise of industrial production of chemicals in the late 19th century opened the door to more massive use of
chemical agents in combatToxins are covered by the CWC because they are chemicals that can have
chemical weapons applications, and fall under the definitions listed above for chemical weapons and toxic
chemicals.

Synthetic Toxins
It is possible to synthesis many types of toxins in laboratories without harvesting the organisms that produce
them in nature. Moreover, a number of toxins are also synthetic dual-use chemicals, meaning that under the
CWC they can be produced in the quantities required for legitimate activities2.

There are two toxins explicitly listed in Schedule 1, these are ricin (produced in nature in the seeds of the
castor bean plant) and saxitoxin (produced in nature by cyanobacteria).

Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons

Old chemical weapons fall into two categories: chemical weapons produced before 1925 and chemical
weapons produced between 1925 and 1946 ‘that have deteriorated to such an extent that they can no longer
be used as chemical weapons’.
Old chemical weapons of the first category may be ‘destroyed or disposed of’ as toxic waste in accordance
with the relevant State Party’s national laws after the OPCW Secretariat has confirmed that they were indeed
produced before 1925.

Those weapons that fall into the second category of old chemical weapons are to be destroyed in accordance
with the same conditions as other chemical weapons, though the time limits and the order of destruction can
be changed, subject to approval by the Executive Council.

Guidelines for determining whether weapons in this category have deteriorated enough to be unusable,
however, have yet to be decided, though efforts to do so are ongoing. Categorisation of such weapons
therefore remains problematic.

Abandoned Chemical Weapons are chemical weapons, including old chemical weapons, abandoned by a
State after 1 January 1925 on the territory of another State without the consent of the latter.

Types of Chemical Agents

Choking agents
Inflicting injury mainly on the respiratory tract, choking agents irritate the nose, throat, and especially the
lungs. When inhaled, these agents cause alveoli, air sacs in the lungs, to secrete fluid, essentially drowning
those affected

Example agents

 Chlorine (Cl)
 Chloropicrin (CG)
 Diphosgene (DP)
 Phosgene (PS)

Dispersal
Gas

Mode of Action
Absorption through lungs

Effects
Fluid builds up in lungs, choking victim

1.scribbed.com
Blister agents
One of the most common chemical weapon agents, these oily substances act via inhalation and contact,
affecting the eyes, respiratory tract, and skin, first as an irritant and then as a cell poison. Exposure to
blister agents cause large and often life-threatening skin blisters which resemble severe burns, and often
results in blindness and permanent damage to the respiratory system.
Although casualties are high, deaths represent a small percentage.

Example Agents

 sulfur mustard (H, HD)

 nitrogen mustard (HN)
 lewisite (L) and phosgene oxime (CX)

Dispersal
Liquid, aerosol, vapour, and dust

Mode of Action
Absorption through lungs, skin

Effects
Burns skin, mucous membranes and eyes; blisters skin, windpipe, and lungs

Blood agents
These agents inhibit the ability of blood cells to use and transfer oxygen, effectively causing the body to
suffocate. Blood agents are distributed via the blood and generally enter the body through inhalation.

Example agents

 Hydrogen cyanide (AC)

 Cyanogen chloride (CK)
 Arsine (SA)

Dispersal
Gas

Mode of Action
Absorption through lungs

Effects
Blood cells’ ability to use oxygen inhibited

Nerve agents
Nerve agents block impulses between nerve cells or across synapses and are highly toxic with rapid effects.
They act primarily by absorption through the skin and lungs. Nerve agents are divided into two main groups:
G-series agents and V-series agents, named for their military designations. Some G-agents, particularly
tabun and sarin, persist in the environment for only short periods. Other agents, such as soman and
cyclosarin, persist longer and present a greater threat to the skin. V-agents are extremely potent, with only
milligrams needed to cause death, and persist for long periods of time in the environment.

Example agents

 Tabun (GA)
 Sarin (GB)
  Soman (GD)
 Cyclosarin (GF)
 VX

Dispersal
Liquid, aerosol, vapour and dust

Mode of Action
Absorption through lungs (G-series); contact with skin (VX)

Effects
Causes seizures, loss of body control; paralyses muscles, including heart and diaphragm

Riot control agents

Riot control agents are intended to temporarily incapacitate a person by causing irritation to the eyes, mouth,
throat, lungs, and skin.

Riot control agents, such as tear gas, are considered chemical weapons if used as a method of warfare. States
can legitimately possess riot control agents and use them for domestic law enforcement purposes, but states
that are members of the Chemical Weapons Convention must declare what type of riot agents they possess.

Example agents

 Tear Gas (CS)

 Pepper Spray (OC)

Dispersal
Liquid, aerosol

Mode of Action
Absorption through lungs, skin and eyes

Effects
Tears, coughing, and irritation to eyes, nose, mouth and skin; constricts airway

What is the most dangerous chemical weapon?

The Five Most Deadly Chemical Weapons of War

 Most toxic: VX.
 Most recently used: Sarin.
 Most popular: Mustard Gas.
 Most dangerous: Phosgene.
 Most attainable: Chlorine.
 CONCLUSION

A chemical weapon is any toxic chemical that can cause death, injury, incapacitation, and sensory irritation,
deployed via a delivery system, such as an artillery shell, rocket, or ballistic missile. Chemical weapons are
considered weapons of mass destruction and their use in armed conflict is a violation of international law.
The use of harmful chemicals in warfare, personal attacks, and assassinations dates back centuries, but the
rise of industrial production of chemicals in the late 19th century opened the door to more massive use of
chemical agents in combat.Toxins are covered by the CWC because they are chemicals that can have
chemical weapons applications, and fall under the definitions listed above for chemical weapons and toxic
chemicals.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.www.Opcw.org
2.www.wisconsinproject.com
3.www.un.com/chemical weapons