Overview of CWC chemicals
The Chemical Weapons Convention requires State parties to adopt all necessary measures to ensure that toxic chemicals and their precursors are only developed, produced, acquired, retained, transferred or used for purposes not prohibited under the Convention. The Convention contains three lists, or "schedules", of toxic chemicals and their precursors that have legitimate medical, commercial and industrial uses, but may also be used as agents or precursors of chemical weapons. The three schedules may be categorised as follows:
| Schedule 1 : (pdf format) |
covers toxic chemicals and their immediate precursors. These have very limited industrial and medical applications. These chemicals pose a high risk to the objective and purpose of the Convention and are considered to be highly dangerous. Examples of such chemicals include Sarin, VX, Mustards, Saxitoxin, Ricin etc. Operators / importers / exporters are advised to consult the Department at least 45 days before importing or exporting any Schedule 1 chemicals. |
| Schedule 2 : (pdf format) |
covers toxic chemicals and their precursors that have some industrial uses. These chemicals pose a significant risk to the objective and purpose of the Convention. Examples of such chemicals include Amiton, PFIB, BZ etc |
| Schedule 3 : (pdf format) |
covers toxic chemicals and their precursors with broader commercial applications. These chemicals pose a risk to the objective and purpose of the Convention. Examples of such chemicals include Triethanolamine, Phosphorus Oxychloride, Thionyl Chloride etc. |
Besides the chemicals listed in the three Schedules, the Convention also covers Unscheduled Discrete Organic Chemicals (UDOCs), which are chemicals belonging to the classification of chemical compounds consisting of all compounds of carbons except for its oxides, sulfides and metal carbonates.