What activities are not prohibited by the CWC?
Many of the chemical ingredients that can be used to make chemical weapons are widely used for legitimate commercial purposes. Therefore, the CWC does not ban the use of toxic chemicals and their precursors for industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical, or other peaceful purposes. The CWC permits the continued production of thirty-one “dual-use” families of chemicals, which are listed on two additional Schedules depending on their degree of toxicity and their military and commercial utility above threshold. Activities involving the chemicals on Schedules 2 and 3 must be reported and are subject to inspections to ensure that they are not being diverted from commercial to military purposes.
