hand held devices for detecting and monitoring landmines, unexploded ordnance and chemical and biological warfare agents.

Two agents, botulinum toxin and anthrax, were selected as candidate biological warfare agents.

The College also welcomed the extensive presentations by UNMOVIC staff on monitoring of small quantities of chemical and biological warfare agents and assessments of sites in the biological area.

United Nations inspectors found no evidence that Iraq produced dry bacterial warfare agents.

Early in 1988, Iraq also began field trials on the dissemination of biological warfare agents.

With regard to Al Hussein missile warheads filled with biological warfare agents and later unilaterally destroyed by Iraq, in 1992 inspectors verified the number of fragments which Iraq declared to have been from chemical warheads.

In spite of this, the First World War saw large scale chemical warfare.

No evidence was found that Iraq had developed these systems for the delivery of biological warfare agents.

Example 1 Uncovering the scope of Iraq's work on the chemical warfare agent VX

In 1918, about one grenade out of three was filled with dangerous chemical agents.

As was subsequently explained by Iraq, it produced liquid bacterial biological warfare agents accepting a moderate risk of airborne contamination.

The weapons included 25 special warheads for Al Hussein missiles and 157 R 400 aerial bombs, filled with biological warfare agents.

However, no samples of those fragments were taken for analysis until after Iraq admitted to the weaponization of biological warfare agents.

Forensic sampling and analysis of spray drying equipment present at Al Hakam in 1996 revealed no traces of biological warfare agents.

However, they were based on elevated expectations on the part of the inspectors regarding the degree of efficiency of Iraq's biological warfare programme, assuming possible production of viral agents and dried bacterial agents.

Iraq also provided information on other types of aerial and artillery munitions used in field trials with biological warfare agents or simulants.

Thus, the positive verification of two liquid biological warfare agents found in munitions reduced the concern that Iraq had produced dry agent.

The dual use nature of these facilities mean that Australia, like any country with advanced biotechnological industries, could easily produce biological warfare agents.

And is killing civilians with chemical agents morally more obscene than shelling, shooting, or starving them to death?

The six chemical weapons possessor States continue to destroy their declared stockpiles, which originally exceeded 71,000 metric tons of chemical agents and nearly 9 million munitions and containers.

Trench warfare dominated strategy on the Western Front, and the use of chemical and poison gases added to the devastation.

With respect to weaponization, Iraq declared that warheads for Al Hussein missiles and R 400 aerial bombs had been filled with liquid biological warfare agents.

As was subsequently learned, Iraq produced bacterial biological warfare agents at Al Hakam with a moderate risk of airborne contamination due to the generation of aerosols.

It is assumed that the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona develops vaccines and antidotes for chemical and biological warfare.

By 1995, in the course of its continuing verification, UNSCOM collected sufficient evidence suggesting that Iraq's biological warfare programme had not been limited to research activities but had also included the production of several bulk biological warfare agents and, possibly, their weaponization.

Consequently, in July 1995, under pressure from the inspectors who had acquired procurement information related to the unexplained import of large quantities of growth media, Iraq finally admitted the past production of biological warfare agents at Al Hakam, a dedicated biological warfare facility.

By 1995, the inspectors had collected sufficient evidence to suggest that Iraq's biological warfare programme was not limited to research activities, as Iraq claimed, but had also included the production of bulk quantities of several biological warfare agents and, possibly, their weaponization.

After the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990, the biological weapons programme increased the production of bulk biological warfare agents and began to weaponize them.

UNMOVIC carried out technical seminars in New York on new techniques in detection of early protein markers for chemical and biological agents.

Maneuver warfare doctrine sees styles of warfare as a spectrum with attrition warfare and maneuver warfare on opposite ends.

Most contaminants are coliform bacteria and faecal streptococcus, and among chemical ones, there are ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, rare heavy metals and other toxic agents.

However, since all biological munitions were destroyed unilaterally by Iraq without United Nations supervision, it was not possible to determine whether weaponized biological warfare agents were in liquid or dry state.

It should be noted that the draft law on weapons, munitions, explosives and dual use chemical agents is in the final stage of parliamentary approval.

However, after the first World War, public attitudes began to shift, if only subtly, when chemical warfare and the airplane were the terror weapons of the day.

The activities of the chemical and biological warfare subcommittee were scaled back soon after, as Prime Minister Robert Menzies was more interested in trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Several samples taken by the inspectors from different pieces of equipment at Al Hakam were analysed by one outside national laboratory and were reported as negative for the presence of biological warfare agents.

Despite its leaders grim public image, Iran has a sense of humanism, as any Kurd who fled from Saddam Hussein s chemical warfare attacks along the Iranian border can attest.

Even as open warfare is reduced, stealth warfare intensifies and spreads.

Several samples taken by the inspectors from different pieces of equipment at Al Hakam were analysed by one outside national laboratory and were reported to be negative for the presence of biological warfare agents.

The assumptions regarding the unsuitability of Iraq's dedicated biological weapons production facilities were reinforced by the lack of evidence at the time that Iraq had progressed beyond research and development of biological warfare agents.

In addition, dozens of empty R 400 bombs produced for biological warfare purposes had been destroyed under the supervision of United Nations chemical weapons inspectors as early as October 1991.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., or simply Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The sites mentioned in the preceding paragraph possessed dual use equipment of all types and characteristics. The equipment was constructed of material considered as most relevant for chemical warfare related purposes.

In order to account for the 157 declared R 400 biological bombs said to have been filled with various biological warfare agents, Iraq began a re excavation programme at Al Azzizziyah firing range in February 2003.

Consequently, in July 1995, under pressure from United Nations inspectors who had been investigating, inter alia, the material balance of imported growth media, Iraq finally admitted the past bulk production of biological warfare agents at Al Hakam.