This presentation was given by Professor Alastair Hay (University of Leeds) at a meeting on Ethics and Risk, organised by the HEA STEM Special Interest Group in teaching ethics to bioscience students. The meeting was held at the University of Northampton in March 2013. Warning: this series of slides contains some unpleasant images of the effects of chemical and/oe biological weapons

1. 1
Why bother about chemical and
biological weapons ?
Teaching Ethics to Bioscience Students
Northampton 26 March 2013
Alastair Hay

2. 2
Chemical Weapons Convention:
Educational and Outreach Challenges
• Relevance to and ownership by students
and teachers in many countries – “CWC
is someone else’s responsibility”
• Concerns of negative impact on public
image of chemistry
• Knowledge base of chemistry teachers
at all levels about the issue
• Little formal attention to ethical issues
in curriculum
• Remoteness of CWC structure to
educational system

3. 3
Approach
• Place chemical and biological weapons in a
larger context – multi-use chemicals
• Start with beneficial aspects of multi-use
chemicals, move to mis-use and abuse
• Target chemists and chemistry educators in
the domain of influence of IUPAC and OPCW
• Pilot materials with educators, evaluate from
the beginning to refine materials and
approaches
• Deliver materials over the web
• Address language issues
• Enlist partners for broad dissemination

4. 4
Multiple Uses of Chemicals
A Chemical Plant

5. 5
Multiple Uses of Chemicals
A Chemical Plant

6. 6
Misuse of Chemicals
ephedra extracts banned
as diet supplements in
several countries
Triple Stack
Epehedra
Caffeine
Aspirin (ASA)

7. 7
CH CH
CH3
NH CH3
OH
pseudoephedrine
(cough suppressant)
CH2 CH
CH3
NH CH3
methamphetamine
(crystal meth)

8. 8
Production of
Crystal Meth

9. 9
Export Industry

10. 10
Multiple-Use Chemicals
• Choices about the beneficial use,
misuse, or abuse of these multi-use
materials lie in our hands.

11. 11
Role for Science Education?
Break-Out Session
• Access to information
• Diversion of readily available materials
• Whose responsibility?
• Understanding and owning ethical
responsibility
• Other examples

12. 12
S CH2CH2OHHOCH2CH2
thiodiglycol
S CH2CH2ClClCH2CH2
mustard gas
Organization for
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Chemical & Biological Weapons
Water-based dyes in cloth manufacturing industry,
including rural industries in developing countries

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15

16. 16

17. 17

21. 21

22. 22

23. 23

24. 24

25. 25

26. 26

27. 27
Chemical and Biological Weapons:
Role for Science Education ?
• Access to information
• Diversion of readily available materials
• Whose responsibility?
• Understanding and owning ethical
responsibility
• Other examples

28. 28
Where we are now
• Project complete
• http://www.iupac.org/multiple-uses-of-
chemicals
• Material – text and pictures
• Also 4 background papers in 6 languages
• Room for more
• Comments welcome!
– Alastair Hay (a.w.m.hay@leeds.ac.uk)
– Peter Mahaffy (peter.mahaffy@kingsu.ca)

29. Biological Warfare
Catapults, bombs and
salad bars

38. Biological Agents
‘weaponized’ by the US prior
to 1969
● Anthrax
● Venezualan Equine
Encephalomyelitis
● Q Fever
● Yellow Fever
● Tularaemia
● Brucellosis
● Rice blast
● Black stem rust of cereals

39. 1972 Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention (BTWC)
● Limits quantities of biological agents
retained
● Permits use of agents for peaceful,
prophylactic and defence purposes
● No inspections

40. SovietUnion/
Russia
Significant research programme on
biological warfare, extent of which is
unknown.
? Weaponisation of agents
Approx 70 deaths from release of
anthrax from military research facility.

41. UNSCOM in Iraq
Inspections revealed:
● Programme started 1974
● Weaponization of: anthrax; botulinal
toxin; aflatoxin
● Work on other bacteria/viruses

42. South Africa – Project
Coast
Limited outcome.
Assassination weapons:
● Anthrax – contaminated cigarettes
● Botulinal toxin in beer
Others:
● Cholera to contaminate water (SWAPO
targeted)
● Anti-fertility vaccine for use on black
South Africans

43. Osho a.k.a.
Bhagwan Shree
Rajneesh

46. Epidemic curve for 22 cases of bioterrorism-
related anthrax, United States, 2001
= inhalational anthrax case
0
2
4
6
17-Sep
21-Sep
25-Sep
29-Sep
03-O
ct
07-O
ct
11-O
ct
15-O
ct
19-O
ct
23-O
ct
27-O
ct
31-O
ct
04-Nov
08-Nov
12-Nov
16-Nov
Symptom Onset Dates, September - November, 2002
NumberofCases
Florida New York City New Jersey Dist. of Columbia Connecticut
Envelopes mailed
to news media
companies, Sept.
18
Envelopes mailed
to government
leaders, Oct. 9

48. Laws preventing the use of
chemical and biological
warfare
CW BW
1925 - Geneva Protocol  
1975 – Biological & Toxins 
Weapon Convention
1997 - Chemical Weapons 
Convention
2001? – Protocol to Biological ?
& Toxins Weapons
Convention

49. Are the laws enough?
Any violations?
Yes
Italy CW in Ethiopia 1935-40
Iraq CW in Iran 1983-88
Russia BW Research 1975-92
(Offensive use)
South BW Research 1981-95?
Africa (Offensive use)

51. Useful websites
• www.opcw.org
• http://multiple.kcvs.ca
• http://www.unog.ch/bwc/meeting

52. 52
The next 10 years
– Existing stockpiles of CW destroyed
– Inspections will move from monitoring CW
destruction to policing industry
– Not making CW is an ethical decision
– Explain this to chemists
– Develop ethical teaching for chemists and
other scientists