Because riot control agents are irritant in nature, they can cause a subjective sense of being unable to breathe. Yet, an important loophole in the convention could threaten the gains made in attaining the conventions stated goal to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons. Open forum on the chemical weapons convention university of. Chemical warfare agents cwa are some of the most nefarious weapons of mass destruction. In modern warfare, chemical weapons were first used in world war i 191418, during which gas warfare inflicted more than one million of the casualties suffered by combatants in that conflict and killed an estimated 90,000. Riot control agents are defined under article ii7 as. Try with and without flash photograph all sides of the. The exception pertains to riot control agents rcas, chemical agents used to disperse crowds, temporarily incapacitate human targets, or deny access. The use of riotcontrol agents for enforcing domestic law is explicitly permitted by the 1997 chemical weapons convention. Directorate of strategic analysis this publication contains sensitive information that shall be protected in accordance with prescribed regulations.
A summary report of characteristics and effects congressional research service summary the potential for terrorist use of chemical agents is a noted concern highlighted by the tokyo sarin gas attacks of 1995. More specifically, since the almost unanimous acceptance and ratification of the chemical weapons convention in 1993, states have agreed to a prohibition of use of chemical riot control agents as a method of warfare, yet, refuse to legislate and enforce such a prohibition for times of peace. Some take the view that only riot control agents may be used for this purpose. Certain characteristic features of nonlethal chemical weapons are also encountered in socalled riot control agents rca. Riot control agents, such as tear gas, are considered chemical weapons if used as a method of warfare. Riot control agents and chemical weapons arms control in. Regulation of incapacitating chemical agent weapons, riot control agents and their means of delivery basingstoke, hampshire. Any chemical not listed in a schedule, which can produce rapidly in humans sensory irritation or disabling physical effects which disappear within a short time following termination of exposure. Choking agents were employed first by the german army and later by the allied forces in world war i. The objective of the chemical weapons convention cwc is to rid the world.
With this riotid guide you can begin to identify these weapons. Imperfections in international arms control agreements are a common outcome of multilateral negotiations. Consequently, incapacitating agents have been banned by international treaties recognized by the usa, including the chemical weapons convention cwc. Most commonly used riot control agents are pepper spray and various kinds of tear gas. These chemicals disperse a crowd that could be protesting or rioting, or to clear a building.
The convention also prohibits the use of riotcontrol agents as a method of warfare art. Mace, ochlorobenzylidene malonitrile cs and oleoresin capsicum oc. Arms control and disarmament international humanitarian law the 1992 chemical weapons convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons and requires states parties to destroy chemical weapon stockpiles. In addition, the military police field manual also stated that. In the us, when pepper spray is used in the workplace, osha requires a pepper spray material safety data sheet msds be available to all employees. Riot control agents and chemical weapons arms control in the unit produced by the berkeley electronic press, 2012.
A summary report of characteristics and effects congressional research service 3 synthesis and specialized equipment to contain the nerve agents produced. We meet at an important moment in the conventions life. To assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a state party under this convention. These include choking agents, blister agents, blood agents, nerve agents, incapacitants, riotcontrol agents, and herbicides. An act to give effect to the convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and on their destruction and to provide for. Specifically, the cwc has placed a ban on the development, production, and possession of any chemical weapon intended to cause death or temporary incapacitation. A section on the use of incapacitating chemicals was dropped from the final convention update document. Since world war i, several types of chemical agents have been developed into weapons. Chemical weapons convention fails to address key issues. Riot control and incapacitating chemical agents under the chemical weapons convention donald a. Chemical agents intended for riot control use are to be declared as well. States parties are further obligated to update the declaration not later than 30. Advice from the scientific advisory board of the organisation.
This book explains the importance of transparency on these chemicals, as well as on riot control agents and their means of delivery, and suggests how both types of weapon could be brought under effective international. Two days later, on december 12, the committee voted unanimously to send the protocol and the convention to the senate floor and on december 16 the senate voted. The usa considers these broad incapa citating agents as chemical warfare agents cw as. Furthermore, each state party to the convention undertakes to destroy. Ikle testified that the president, under an earlier directive still in force, must approve in advance any use of riotcontrol agents and chemical herbicides in war.
Chemical agents 12 riot control agents 12 incapacitating agents 16 calmatives 18 malodorants 20 oleoresin capsicum 21 table 3. The use of riot control agents rcas as a method of warfare is prohibited under the chemical weapons convention cwc. It is the policy of the united states that riot control agents are not chemical weapons and that the president may authorize their use as legitimate, legal, and nonlethal alternatives to the use of force that, as provided in executive order no. This thoroughly researched study highlights the international communitys failure to regulate contemporary state research, development, marketing andor deployment of riot control agents and incapacitating chemical agent weapons. Regulation of wide area riot control agents under the chemical weapons convention, report, 20. Jeffrey gettleman, kenya investigates use of tear gas on schoolchildren, the new york times, january 20, 2015. Knowing how to identify riot control weapons weapons can explode or be hot. While serious systemic effects are uncommon, exposure to high concentrations may lead to severe complications and even death. This can cause confusion, because rca have a separate definition and regimen under the cwc. Fry university of hong kong faculty of law follow this and additional works at. Riot control agents rcas are potent sensory irritants normally with relatively low lethality that produce dose and timedependent acute sitespecific toxicity. An act to give effect to the convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and on their destruction and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Controlled chemicals last revision feb 20 the bureau of industry and security of the u. Scientific advisory board organisation for the prohibition of.
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. There was no discussion of ways to deliver riotcontrol agents. Open forum on the cwc 2 1 may 2003 open forum on the chemical weapons convention his publication is a verbatim transcript of the open forum on the chemical weapons convention. But terrorists not nations offer a bigger chemical weapon threat, warns an expert.
To engage in any military preparations to use chemical weapons. The organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons is a success story. They can rapidly produce sensory irritation or disabling. Weapons convention, or cwc was signed and later ratified by the u. Riot control agents and chemical weapons arms control in the. Article ii7 of the 1993 chemical weapons convention defines riot control agent as. The chemical weapons convention and riot control agents.
Each state party undertakes to destroy chemical weapons it owns or possesses, or that are located in any place under its. Principal provisions of the 1993 chemical weapons convention 6 regarding chemicals that may be used for domestic riot control or for other law enforcement purposes 3. The convention, however, permits the employment of such chemicals for law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes, provided they are used in types and quantities consistent with such purposes. Riot control agents are allowed under the chemical weapons convention for domestic law enforcement purposes and are used around the world. Part of the international humanitarian law commons, and the military, war, and peace commons recommended citation. Regulation of incapacitants and riot control agents under the.
Chemical weapons convention cwc, international treaty that bans the use of chemical weapons in war and prohibits all development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, or transfer of such weapons. The cwc was adopted by the united nations conference on disarmament on september 3, 1992, and the. Home instruments 1992 chemical weapons convention categories. The chemical weapons convention in no way limits use of tear gas or other temporarily disabling chemicals by police forces for purposes of domestic riot control. Chemical weapons convention came into force in 1997. The legal paradox of international chemical riot control. In the us, when pepper spray is used in the workplace, osha requires a pepper spray material safety data. To save the mankind and the world from these deadly chemicals, an international treaty, known as chemical weapons convention cwc came into the existence in april 1997 234. But the language used to exempt other lawenforcement purposes has created an ambiguity in the heart of the convention. Board sab of the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons opcw in response to requests in 2014 and 2017 by the opcw directorgeneral to advise which riot control agents rcas might be subject to declaration under the chemical weapons convention the convention.
Forces, riotcontrol agents, and the chemical weapons convention james d. Chemical weapon, any of several chemical compounds, usually toxic agents, that are intended to kill, injure, or incapacitate enemy personnel. Challenges to the chemical weapons ban, which was organised by the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons and which took place at the peace palace in the hague on 1 may 2003, on the. Products of concern have been manufactured in a range of countries since the coming into force of the cwc in 1997, including china, india, the russian federation, serbia, turkey, and.
The chemical weapons convention has proven to be an important defence against the horrors of chemical warfare, vitally important for protecting both military. Riot control agents and the chemical weapons convention. If states parties come to act on differing interpretations of the. As a result, there remain differing interpretations of what this provision allows. They can rapidly produce sensory irritation or disabling physical effects which usually disappear within 15. Introduction 2chloroacetophenone cn, o chlorobenzylidene malonitrile cs and oleoresin capsicum oc are common riot control agents. Chemical control regulation of incapacitating chemical. In rare cases, immediate and delayed bronchospasm has been reported following tear gas use, up to 1224 hours later, but this is uncommon. Department of commerce may require a license to export the following chemicals listed in category 1 one of the export administration regulations ear. Riot control agents rcas such as cs were the topic of long and heated debates during cwc negotiations. At issue were their inclusion in the treaty and the. Pepper spray is banned for use in war by article i. Riot control agents sometimes called rcas are nonlethal lachrymatory agents used for riot control.
Non lethal warfare and the chemical weapons convention. The events of september 11, 2001, increased congressional attention. States parties are further obligated to update the declaration not later than 30 days after any change becomes effective. The development of incapacitating chemical agent based weapons presents a serious threat to the chemical weapons convention. A riot control agent is defined as any chemical not listed in a schedule which can produce rapidly in humans sensory irritation or disabling. All states parties to the chemical weapons convention cwc commit to a world free of chemical weapons. Others argue that an unspecified wider range of toxic 2 the chemical weapons convention defines riot control agents as. The use of riot control agents rcas as a method of warfare is prohibited under the. Specifically, the cwc has placed a ban on the development, production, and possession of any chemical weapon intended to. Incapacitating agents an overview sciencedirect topics. Each state party undertakes not to use riot control agents as a method of warfare. The use of riot control agents for enforcing domestic law is explicitly permitted by the 1997 chemical weapons convention. The convention, however, permits the employment of such chemicals for law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes, provided they are used in types.
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