Chemical Weapons

Chemical Weapons:-

Any device that uses chemicals to inflict injuries to human beings qualifies as a chemical weapon.
Some examples of chemical weapons are mustard gas, nerve gas, agent orange used by US in Vietnam etc.

• The toxic component in such a weapon is called chemical agent.
• Depending on the mode of action and impact these chemical agents could further be categorized as choking, blistering , blood, nerve, riot control agents.
• Depending on the extent of their impact some of these weapons also qualify as weapons of mass destruction.

#After the first world war , Geneva Protocol  was signed in 1925, which prohibited the use of Chemical Weapons but it did not prohibit the production and stockpiling of these weapons , so the protocol was not effective in stopping the military scale production of chemical weapons.

#Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) , a disarmament agreement which was adopted in 1992 prohibits the use of these weapons.

#Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) got the Nobel Peace Prize 2013 for its role in prohibition of chemical weapons.