Combating chemical warfare

 A year ago the world stood open mouthed as reports came in on the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian city of Damascus. For the first time since the Iran-Iraq war began in 1980, chemistry its self was once again the ammunition.     Accusation and counter accusation flew between Syrian government and opposition leaders, but for a long while it wasn’t known for sure if chemical weapons had been used at all. Of course there were the pictures of appalling suffering and the weeping family members…but it was war, images like that are tragically ten-a-penny. What was needed was scientific – not anecdotal – proof. Aside from the moral repugnance, it is important to remember that CW use is internationally illegal – but to be enforced of course, legalities require carefully documented evidence. As such it is of utmost importance to prove the presence, or otherwise, of CW. It is also worth remembering that this time a year ago the US was on the brink of launching an all-out attack on President Assad’s Syria because of his alleged use of CW – so when it comes to the question of CW use, the stakes are high. Very high indeed. Then – as now – however, absolute proof of the use of these agents is not exactly easy to come by. For a start we are talking here about a war zone – and as impressive as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been, it isn’t always possible to deploy specialists safely and quickly. But of more interest scientifically perhaps is the challenge of detection its self. Nerve agents specifically are problematic to remove from sampled soil ­– and that’s assuming the correct piece of soil has been sampled in the first place. If the OPCW is to remain potent, it will need a reliable way to detect the presence of CW – concrete evidence which side-steps the heavy influence of propaganda and war time rhetoric. Now, perhaps, we may have found a rather unlikely hero in the battle against CW. In this article we hear from Dstl Porton Down on some research that they say uncovers a reliable sentry, ready and willing to stand guard over the trace chemicals of the battle field that are so vital when it comes to the detection of CW.