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Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law [MPEPIL]

Chemical Weapons and Warfare

Thilo Marauhn

Content type:
Encyclopedia entries
Product:
Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law [MPIL]

Module:
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law [MPEPIL]
Article last updated:
June 2016

From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved.date: 09 December 2024

Subject(s):
Weapons, chemical — Armed conflict, international — Reprisals — Disarmament — Conduct of hostilities

Published under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law under the direction of Professor Anne Peters (2021–) and Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum (2004–2020). 

1Chemical weapons can be distinguished from conventional weapons and from biological weapons (Biological Weapons and Warfare). Their destructive effect does not result from explosive force (as is the case with most conventional weapons) but from the toxicity of chemical agents. Toxic living organisms (eg anthrax) which are intended to cause death or severe harm to people, animals, and plants are considered biological weapons. Non-living toxic substances produced by living organisms are called toxins (eg botulinum toxin, ricin, and saxitoxin) may be considered...
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