Reducing the risk of chemical war

Reducing the risk of chemical war

By W. Wuryani

JAKARTA (JP): The distinguished journal Nature again published
in May 1998 a view on the Gulf War syndrome, a kind of illness
produced from the residue of warfare. The journal also mentioned
this syndrome on two earlier occasions, namely in December 1996
and in January 1997. One of the causing agents of this syndrome
is the exposure of the body to nerve agents. These agents may
enter the body through inhalation in their gaseous or aerosol
form and through skin and eyes in their liquid form.

The toxicity of nerve agents is mainly due to their inhibiting
effect on the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. This enzyme acts as a
highly active catalyst for the hydrolysis of acetylcholine, a
transmitter substance responsible for the transfer of nerve
impulses. Thus, inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity
causes accumulation of acetylcholine. At very low dosages,
acetylcholine will cause a running nose, tightness of the chest,
dimming of vision and contraction of the eye pupils. Meanwhile,
at higher dosages, the symptoms will progress more rapidly
through difficulty in breathing, nausea and vomiting, involuntary
defecation and urination, tremors, headache, convulsions and
finally death.

Four nerve agents, namely tabun, sarin, soman and VX have been
employed as weapons of deadly menace. Sarin was reported used by
the Aum Shinrikyo sect in Japan and some innocent people became
victims of its action in a Tokyo subway station a few years ago.
Sarin is a colorless liquid with high volatility and it was
heavily stockpiled. Nerve agents represent a chemical threat that
is still not surpassed by any other group of chemical warfare
agents. This is (partially) due to their extremely high toxicity
and their ability to rapidly induce toxic effects. Furthermore,
they are stable, easy to disseminate and relatively simple to
produce from cheap starting materials.

The utilization of chemical weapons has been condemned since
the 17th century. The Brussels Declaration, an international
agreement prohibiting the use of poison bullets, was adopted in
1874. New chemical toxins and new ways of delivering them have
kept treaties alive with the aim of banning such weapons of mass
destruction. Therefore it is not surprising that the diplomatic
and security agendas of large and small nations ever since hold
the treaties with the utmost importance. Although chemical
weapons are among the most deadly military devices, they have
never achieved eventual victory. The World War I battles in which
chemical weapons were used, caused about 100,000 deaths and 1
million casualties. On Jun. 17, 1925, the Geneva Protocol was
signed to ban the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other
gases and of bacteriological methods of warfare. However, this
protocol does not prohibit the development, production and
stockpiling of chemical weapons.

In order to prevent the possibility of the use of chemical
weapons, another treaty, namely the Convention on the Prohibition
of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical
Weapons and on their Destruction was completed. This Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC) is the latest one, but the first global
disarmament agreement which is at present the best attempt at
ridding the world of chemical weapons, by targeting to ban both
their possession and the means to produce them. At the same time,
this Convention could enhance the economic and technological
development of all State Parties by promoting free trade in
chemicals as well as international cooperation and exchange of
scientific and technical information in the field of chemical
activities for purposes not prohibited under this Convention,
i.e: (1) industrial, agricultural, research, pharmaceutical or
other peaceful purposes; (2) protection against toxic chemicals
and chemical weapons; (3) military purposes not connected with
the use of chemical weapons and not dependent on the use of the
toxic properties of chemicals as a method of warfare; (4) law
enforcement including domestic riot control purposes.

The CWC is now signed by the leaders of 160 nations and 107
countries have ratified it. Among them are those countries having
large chemical industries (such as the United States, the Russian
Federation, China, France, Germany, Japan and the United
Kingdom). Meanwhile in the ASEAN region, Brunei, the Philippines,
Singapore and Laos have already taken further steps than
Indonesia. The Convention entered into force on April 29, 1997.

The state parties to this convention have established the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in
order to achieve the objectives and purposes of this convention
and to ensure the implementation of its provisions. Included in
it are those of international verification of compliance with the
convention, and the provision of a forum for consultation and
cooperation among state parties. The seat of the organization
headquarters is The Hague, the Netherlands.

Participating in the CWC offers economic, political,
diplomatic and scientific advantages. There will be no
restrictions on chemical trade with international partners who
are also party to the convention. Being a member of the CWC, a
concerned country will have no limitation in acquiring chemicals
required for research, as well as for domestic industries which
are active in using and producing certain chemicals. Therefore,
this will provide benefits to the home pharmaceutical, textile
and agricultural businesses.

At the international level, participating nations will be able
to retrieve any information on chemical weapons and the technique
to destroy the waste, as well as assistance in solving problems
related to chemical weapons, along lines which conform with the
philosophy of the convention. Nations which have ratified the
convention have voice and vote at the convention table. The
ratifying nations have also the right to be elected to the
Executive Council (which prepares for implementation of the
provision of the treaty) or the Technical Secretariat (which
among other functions, provides inspectors for suspected
stockpiles or production sites and monitors the destruction of
existing stocks). In the era of globalization, participation in
the body of the convention is not only of national but also of
regional and international interest.

The Government of Indonesia signed the treaty on Jan. 13, 1993
in Paris. It is anticipated that Indonesia will soon ratify the
CWC, so that Indonesia will belong to the international
brotherhood in keeping with the world's law and order. It is
understandable that Indonesia will take steps to ratify as it is
in line with the Indonesian philosophy stated in Article 4 of the
Preamble of the 1945 Constitution in which Indonesia bears the
responsibility to maintain international peace. The 1998 broad
outlines of state policy also pledges that Indonesia will take an
active role in disarmament, in particular of mass destruction
weapons such as nuclear, biological and chemical.

Indonesia has actively participated in a series of
international meetings since 1980 to formulate the convention.
The government has also appointed a group of experts -- lawyers,
politicians, chemists, chemical engineers, economists, medical
specialists -- from various related agencies, which is
coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare the
draft of the national implementing legislation which enables the
government to fulfill the requirements of the CWC.

The task given to this group is to compile and generate
information from chemical industries which either consume or
produce the chemicals listed as Schedule Chemicals and
Unscheduled Discrete Organic Chemicals (DOC) in the convention's
book. The former mentioned chemicals could be divided into toxic
chemicals and their precursors. Toxic chemicals means 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 whether they are
produced in facilities, in munitions or elsewhere. Precursor
means any chemical reactant, which takes part at any stage in the
production by whatever method, of toxic chemicals. This includes
any key component which plays the most important role in
determining the toxic properties of the final product and also
reacts rapidly with other chemicals. Within these two groups of
chemicals there are so-called dual use materials, i.e. items that
have ordinary commercial value but can be used for military
purposes as well. Thus, industries which deal with chemicals must
be aware of the convention requirements and should observe the
book of rules.

Thirty days after Indonesia submits the instruments of
ratification to the secretary-general of the United Nations,
Indonesia must declare all its chemical weapons including their
installations, if any, and also related chemical industry
operations. The above initial declaration has to be updated,
after any change becomes effective, also submitting subsequent
annual declarations becomes an obligation.

Being a latecomer to the convention, Indonesia, will
unfortunately only have a very limited period of time to put its
national system into full operation. In other words, the system
must effectively work. This suggests, that Indonesia soon shall
have to implement national regulations and designate a National
Authority to serve as the focal point for effective liaison with
the organization and other state parties. It is important to
profit from the experiences of other state parties, which have
their system already running or to consult the OPCW to find
effective solutions for the problems which may occur.

The writer is a researcher at the Research and Development
Center for Applied Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

Window A: Thus, industries which deal with chemicals must
be aware of the convention requirements and should observe the
book of rules.

Window B: Being a latecomer to the convention, Indonesia, will
unfortunately only have a very limited period of time to put its
national system into full operation.