On September 22, 1980 Iraqis attacked Iran's air bases and simultaneously entered Iran with six army divisions on three fronts and occupied a vast part of Iranian territories. At that time, Iraqis did not have chemical warfare. But in time, they began to develop an intensive research program to produce and store chemical weapons and used the war fields to test and perfect their chemical warfare...

On September 22, 1980 Iraqis attacked Iran's air bases and simultaneously entered Iran with six army divisions on three fronts and occupied a vast part of Iranian territories. At that time, Iraqis did not have chemical warfare. But in time, they began to develop an intensive research program to produce and store chemical weapons and used the war fields to test and perfect their chemical warfare...

Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) is now a proven method for the identification of chemical warfare agents and explosives in military projectiles and storage containers. Idaho National Laboratory is developing a next-generation PGNAA instrument based on the new Ortec Detective mechanically-cooled HPGe detector and a neutron generator. In this paper we review PGNAA analysis of...

The nerve agents are chemical warfare agents known to be used during terrorist attacks. An inexpensive and portable system to be used by first responders and military personnel is of interest owing to the continuing threat of possible terrorist attacks. Amperometric biosensors based on cholinesterase inhibition show such potentialities. In this work butyrylcholinesterase was immobilized onto sc...

The old Japanese army developed several chemical warfare agents on Ohkuno Island in Seto inland sea, Hiroshima Japan, during the period between 1919 and 1944. These chemical agents including yperite (mustard; irritating agent), lewisite (irritating agent), diphenylchloroarsine (DA; vomiting agent), diphenylcyanoarsine (DC; vomiting agent) and other poisonous gases were manufactured to be used i...

The use of chemical agents for terrorist attacks or military warfare is a major concern at the present time. Chemical agents can cause significant morbidity, are relatively inexpensive, and are easy to store and use. Weaponization of chemical agents is only limited by the physicochemical properties of some agents. Recent incidents involving toxic industrial chemicals and chemical terrorist atta...

Chemical and biological warfare agents constitute a low-probability, but high-impact risk both to the military and to the civilian population. The use of hazardous materials of chemical or biological origin as weapons and for homicide has been documented since ancient times. The first use of chemicals in terms of weapons of mass destruction goes back to World War I, when on April 22, 1915 large...

Forensic laboratories do not have the infrastructure to process or store contaminated DNA samples that have been recovered from a crime scene contaminated with chemical or biological warfare agents. Previous research has shown that DNA profiles can be recovered from blood exposed to several chemical warfare agents after the agent has been removed. The fate of four toxic agents, sulfur mustard, ...