About the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
Chemical weapons are munitions and other devices which use the toxic effects of chemicals on living organisms to cause death or other harm. The definition of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (hereinafter referred to as “CWC”) only includes toxic effects on human beings and animals, not effects on plants (e.g., herbicides). In order to qualify as a chemical weapon, the toxic effect of the munitions must not necessarily be lethal. Other forms of harm (incapacitation) are sufficient even if they are only temporary. Whether chemicals which under normal conditions of use only cause short term irritation (e.g., tear gas) are also covered is controversial. Toxic chemicals can spread over large areas and affect large numbers of people. Chemical weapons are therefore considered as “weapons of mass destruction”. 2. The Way to the CWC The use of chemical weapons during the First World War (in t...