Chloropicrin

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About Chloropicrin:

It is a chemical compound which is also known as nitro chloroform. It is used both as a warfare agent and pesticide.
Appearance: It is a colourless to yellow oily liquid.
It is used broadly as a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, nematicide and antimicrobial.
It is an irritant with characteristics of a tear gas. It has an intensely irritating odour, and can be absorbed through inhalation, ingestion, and the skin.
It was first made for use as a poison gas in the First World War, by both the Allied and the Central Powers.
Manufacturing
- It’s manufactured in a chemical reaction involving sodium hypochlorite (which in dilute form is called bleach) and nitromethane (a common industrial solvent).
- It can also be made by combining chloroform with nitric acid, which yields chloropicrin and water.
Impacts on Health
- Chloropicrin has documented irritating and tears-inducing effects on humans, and is also known to be highly toxic and carcinogenic and also induce vomiting

Key facts about Chemical Weapons Convention

It is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specified period of time.
It entered into force on April 29, 1997.
It requires states-parties to declare in writing to the OPCW their chemical weapons stockpiles, chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs), relevant chemical industry facilities, and other weapons-related information.
It is open to all nations and currently has 193 states-parties.
India is a signatory and party to the Chemical Weapons Convention. It has signed the treaty at Paris on 14th day of January 1993.
It is pursuant to provisions of the Convention enacted the Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000.