Chemical weapons are inanimate poisonous substances that incapacitate, injure, or kill through their toxic effects on the skin,
eyes, lungs, blood, nerves, or other organs. Examples include nerve, blister, choking, and blood agents. Some chemical warfare agents can be lethal when vaporized and inhaled in amounts as small as a few milligrams. Virtually any nation with a
petrochemical, pesticide, or fertilizer industry has the potential to produce chemical weapons. Some of the simpler chemical
warfare agents, such as the blister agent mustard gas, are based on technology and know-how that is at least eighty years old.
 
 

History of Chemical Weapons