Chemical Warfare Agents

Chemical warfare agents (CWA) are illicit chemical compounds that have been used in conflicts for centuries. The use of CWA in conflicts was banned following the Third Geneva Convention in 1925. In 1993, most countries in the world ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention mandating the destruction of CWA by 2012. Currently, the primary international concern in relation to CWA is its potential use by terrorist organizations. CWA represent environmental legacy contaminants as the production and subsequent dumping of CWA typically occurred decades ago. Owing to their inherent toxic properties and status as illicit compounds, CWA are characterized by relatively poorly described physicochemical, fate, human, and environmental long-term toxicity profiles. Secrecy and uncertainty still exist with regard to where, when, how much, and what types of CWA were dumped in sea across the globe. Scientifically sound, tiered marine environmental risk assessments are necessary for international consensus on the pressure, state, and impact that CWA may exert on human and environmental health and, in turn, for evaluating the cost–benefit of potential remediation. The societal response to the risk analysis should adhere to existing international conventions for protection of human and environmental health.