ABSTRACT
Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are chemical substances with toxic properties specifically for producing lethal, incapacitating, or damaging effects to humans when suitably delivered. Since their reintroduction in World War I by Germany, CWAs have remained weapons for use by combatant armies. In recent years, however, these agents have also been used by armies against rebellious noncombatant civilians and by terrorists against innocent, unsuspecting citizens, as was the case in the 1995 sarin nerve agent release in a Tokyo subway station. The potential risk of their deployment by terrorists increased significantly after the attack on the New York World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Although the United States and most European countries place a greater emphasis on, and allocate most of their antiterrorist resources to, the preparation for potential chemical and biological terrorism, blasts from explosive detonations remain the single most frequent cause of human death and injury, as well as property damage, by terrorist attacks.
