Chemical 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.

12 criteria

01Criterion
Chemical Agent Development and Production
Defined as: Entities that research, develop, synthesize, formulate, manufacture, or produce toxic chemicals for chemical-weapons purposes, including agents intended to cause death, temporary incapacitation, or permanent harm through toxic properties.
02Criterion
Nerve Agents
Defined as: Entities with verified chemical-weapons involvement involving nerve agents such as sarin, soman, tabun, VX, Novichok-series agents, or comparable chemicals designed to disrupt the nervous system. Lawful organophosphorus or other civilian chemical activity without a chemical-weapons purpose is excluded.
03Criterion
Blister Agents
Defined as: Entities with verified chemical-weapons involvement involving sulfur mustard, nitrogen mustards, lewisite, phosgene oxime, or comparable blister or vesicant agents. Lawful industrial or research activity without a chemical-weapons purpose is excluded.
04Criterion
Other Toxic Chemicals Used as Chemical Weapons
Defined as: Entities with verified chemical-weapons involvement involving choking agents, blood agents, central-nervous-system-acting or incapacitating chemicals, toxins, riot-control agents intended for use as a method of warfare, or other toxic chemicals used or intended to cause prohibited chemical harm.
05Criterion
Chemical Weapons Precursors and Binary Components
Defined as: Entities that develop, produce, procure, supply, or transfer precursors, key intermediates, or binary or multicomponent chemicals where a chemical-weapons end use, dedicated programme role, or knowing diversion is established. A chemical schedule listing or theoretical capability alone is insufficient.
06Criterion
Chemical Weapons Munitions, Devices, Filling and Weaponization
Defined as: Entities that design, develop, manufacture, fill, assemble, integrate, or modify munitions, devices, spray tanks, dispersal systems, or other delivery means specifically to release toxic chemicals for chemical-weapons purposes.
07Criterion
Chemical-Weapons-Specific 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 chemical-weapons function, including filling, mixing, loading, release, dispersal, agent handling, or direct operation of chemical-weapons munitions or devices.
08Criterion
Chemical Weapons Research, Engineering and Programme Support
Defined as: Entities that provide direct and material research, design, engineering, testing, process development, systems integration, technical advisory, or programme support specifically for an offensive chemical-weapons programme, agent, munition, device, or dedicated equipment.
09Criterion
Chemical 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 chemical weapons, weaponized agents, dedicated binary components, or chemical-weapons munitions and devices.
10Criterion
Chemical 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 chemical weapons, weaponized agents, dedicated precursors, munitions, devices, or chemical-weapons-specific equipment. Each transaction role should be recorded separately and not inferred from another role.
11Criterion
Chemical Weapons Use, Military Preparations and Operational Support
Defined as: Entities that deploy, release, employ, or operationally use chemical weapons, make military preparations for such use, or provide direct operational support essential to filling, handling, targeting, release, or battlefield employment.
12Criterion
Chemical Weapons Assistance, Encouragement and Inducement
Defined as: Entities that knowingly provide material assistance, encouragement, inducement, specialized services, technology, or other support that directly enables chemical-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.

10 criteria

01Criterion
Historical-Only Chemical Weapons Involvement
Defined as: Entities with verified past chemical-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
Permitted Industrial, Agricultural, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Research Uses
Defined as: Entities whose toxic-chemical, precursor, or scheduled-chemical activities are limited to industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical, or other peaceful purposes and are consistent in purpose, type, and quantity with those permitted uses.
03Criterion
Protective, Detection, Medical Countermeasure and Decontamination Activities
Defined as: Entities whose only involvement is the development or provision of protective clothing, masks, filters, detectors, monitoring systems, antidotes, medical treatment, decontamination, emergency response, or other protective measures against chemical threats.
04Criterion
Lawful Domestic Law-Enforcement and Non-Toxic Military Uses
Defined as: Entities whose only relevant activity involves riot-control agents for lawful domestic law enforcement, or military uses that do not depend on toxic properties as a method of warfare, such as smoke, obscurants, signalling, flame, conventional explosives, or propellants. Riot-control agents used as a method of warfare are not excluded.
05Criterion
Authorized Destruction, Neutralization, Demilitarization, Verification and Remediation
Defined as: Entities whose current role is limited to authorized destruction, neutralization, demilitarization, verification, inspection, cleanup, environmental remediation, or disposal of chemical weapons. Any verified earlier prohibited involvement should be assessed separately as historical involvement.
06Criterion
Generic Dual-Use Chemicals and Precursors Without a Chemical-Weapons Nexus
Defined as: Entities that manufacture, trade, or use dual-use chemicals or precursors without evidence of a prohibited chemical-weapons purpose, dedicated programme role, knowing diversion, or entity-specific weapons end use.
07Criterion
Generic Equipment, Components, Delivery Platforms and Containers
Defined as: Entities that provide general-purpose chemical-processing equipment, laboratory equipment, containers, aircraft, missiles, artillery, vehicles, electronics, or other components that are not specifically designed or significantly modified for a material chemical-weapons function.
08Criterion
Generic Logistics and Business Services Without Knowing Chemical-Weapons Support
Defined as: Entities that provide ordinary transportation, warehousing, construction, information technology, consulting, legal, financial, or other general business services without evidence that the service is dedicated to, materially modified for, or knowingly supports a chemical-weapons activity.
09Criterion
Unverified Lists, Sanctions, Contracts and Programme References
Defined as: Entities named only in a sanctions list, exclusion list, tender, intelligence allegation, monitoring report, or broad chemical-weapons programme reference without sufficient entity-specific evidence of the exact product, activity, legal entity, and relevant time period. Such references should be retained as research leads or corroboration.
10Criterion
Agent, Schedule or Country-Level Evidence Without Entity-Specific Involvement
Defined as: Entities associated only through the presence of a chemical on a regulatory schedule, a country's chemical-weapons programme, a facility location, or a general industry capability without evidence that the entity itself performed a qualifying chemical-weapons activity.