Biological and Toxin Weapons screen criteria

How to read this definition

Inclusion criteria describe evidence that can establish this activity. Exclusion criteria identify circumstances that do not establish it on that basis alone. The evaluation remains connected to its taxonomy version and supporting evidence.

Can establish this activity

Included when supported

Evidence may support involvement when it matches one or more of these inclusion criteria.

9 criteria

01Criterion
Biological Agents and Toxins for Hostile Use
Defined as: Entities that research, develop, produce, culture, extract, concentrate, stabilize, acquire, or retain microbial or other biological agents or toxins for hostile purposes, where the type or quantity has no justification for preventive, protective, medical, agricultural, industrial, or other peaceful use.
02Criterion
Engineered or Modified Biological Agents for Hostile Use
Defined as: Entities that genetically engineer, synthetically construct, select, modify, or enhance biological agents or toxins for hostile use, including changes intended to increase virulence, transmissibility, environmental stability, treatment resistance, immune evasion, or dissemination effectiveness.
03Criterion
Biological Weapons Research, Development and Engineering
Defined as: Entities that provide direct and material offensive biological-weapons research, design, process development, scale-up, testing, systems engineering, technical advisory, or programme support for agents, toxins, weaponization, dissemination, or delivery.
04Criterion
Biological Weapons Munitions, Devices, Filling and Weaponization
Defined as: Entities that design, develop, manufacture, fill, assemble, integrate, or modify munitions, devices, payloads, aerosol systems, sprayers, or other mechanisms specifically to weaponize or deliver biological agents or toxins for hostile use.
05Criterion
Biological-Weapons-Specific Dissemination Systems, Equipment and Components
Defined as: Entities that develop, produce, integrate, or supply equipment or components specifically designed, exclusively used, or significantly modified for a material biological-weapons function, including agent cultivation or processing for weapons, stabilization, filling, aerosolization, dissemination, or delivery.
06Criterion
Biological Weapons Acquisition, Procurement, Stockpiling, Possession and Retention
Defined as: Entities that authorize, initiate, manage, order, procure, acquire, receive, own, possess, retain, stockpile, store, or exercise custody or inventory control over biological weapons, weaponized agents or toxins, dedicated payloads, or biological-weapons-specific equipment.
07Criterion
Biological Weapons Transfer, Import, Export, Sale, Distribution and Transportation
Defined as: Entities that knowingly transfer, import, export, sell, broker, distribute, transport, handle, or store in transit biological weapons, weaponized agents or toxins, dedicated payloads, or biological-weapons-specific equipment. Each transaction role should be recorded separately and not inferred from another role.
08Criterion
Biological Weapons Use, Military Preparations and Operational Support
Defined as: Entities that deploy, disseminate, employ, or operationally use biological agents or toxins as weapons, make military preparations for such use, or provide direct operational support essential to filling, handling, targeting, release, or battlefield employment.
09Criterion
Biological Weapons Assistance, Encouragement and Inducement
Defined as: Entities that knowingly provide material assistance, encouragement, inducement, specialized services, technology, or other support that directly enables biological-weapons development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, or use.

Does not establish this activity on its own

Excluded on this basis alone

These circumstances do not establish this activity unless separate evidence also meets an inclusion criterion.

7 criteria

01Criterion
Historical-Only Biological and Toxin Weapons Involvement
Defined as: Entities with verified past biological- or toxin-weapons involvement that met the applicable activity definition, where reliable evidence establishes that the qualifying activity has fully ceased, been divested, transferred, dismantled, terminated, or otherwise ended and no current qualifying involvement remains. Historical-only activity does not qualify as current involvement. Preserve the historical record separately with the activity period, effective cessation or transfer date, relevant entity, product, programme, facility, or contract, and supporting evidence. Absence of recent evidence alone is not sufficient to establish cessation.
02Criterion
Public Health, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Vaccine and Diagnostic Activities
Defined as: Entities whose relevant biological-agent or toxin activity is limited to public health, medicine, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, disease surveillance, clinical testing, or medical countermeasures without evidence of hostile purpose.
03Criterion
Peaceful Research, Industrial, Agricultural and Veterinary Uses
Defined as: Entities conducting transparent and regulated biological research, industrial biotechnology, food production, agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental work, or other peaceful activity where the type and quantity of agents or toxins are justified by the stated purpose.
04Criterion
Protective Biodefense, Detection and Medical Countermeasures
Defined as: Entities whose only involvement is protective biodefense, biosurveillance, detection, protective equipment, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, decontamination, emergency preparedness, or other countermeasures against biological threats.
05Criterion
Authorized Destruction, Decontamination, Verification and Remediation
Defined as: Entities whose current role is limited to authorized destruction, decontamination, verification, inspection, cleanup, environmental remediation, or disposal of biological-weapons agents, toxins, facilities, or contaminated materials. Any verified earlier prohibited involvement should be assessed separately as historical involvement.
06Criterion
Generic Dual-Use Biological Materials, Laboratory Equipment and Services
Defined as: Entities that provide ordinary pathogens, cell lines, toxins, reagents, growth media, fermenters, laboratory equipment, sequencing, synthesis, cloud, logistics, or contract-laboratory services without evidence of a hostile end use, dedicated weapons role, knowing diversion, or significant modification for biological weapons.
07Criterion
Unverified Lists, Sanctions, Contracts, Programme and Country-Level References
Defined as: Entities named only in a sanctions list, exclusion list, contract, allegation, monitoring report, state programme, facility description, or country-level biological-weapons statement without sufficient entity-specific evidence of the exact agent, toxin, product, activity, legal entity, and relevant time period. Such references should be retained as research leads or corroboration.