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Phosphorous is a chemical weapon

JacksinPA

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White Phosphorous (aka Willy Pete) is a horrible weapon. It sticks to anything & burns in air. But on MSNBC this AM Kristen Welker spoke about phosphorous and CHEMICAL WEAPONS as if the two were in different classes. They are but in terms of how they kill & maim people.
 
White Phosphorous (aka Willy Pete) is a horrible weapon. It sticks to anything & burns in air. But on MSNBC this AM Kristen Welker spoke about phosphorous and CHEMICAL WEAPONS as if the two were in different classes. They are but in terms of how they kill & maim people.

Chemical Weapons incapacitate/kill by design.

White Phosphorous is a weapon also used for marking, incendiary effect and for screening. It can kill but is not specifically used to do so.

Bullets kill people and breaks things.

High Explosive kills people and breaks things. .

Fragmentation warheads kill people primarily. Killing by design.

Flechettes are particularly nasty. Killing by design.

All these are killing by design but people focus on WP.
 
White Phosphorous (aka Willy Pete) is a horrible weapon. It sticks to anything & burns in air. But on MSNBC this AM Kristen Welker spoke about phosphorous and CHEMICAL WEAPONS as if the two were in different classes. They are but in terms of how they kill & maim people.
This being the science and technology forum, should you not open by suggesting a precise definition of a chemical weapon, then show how white phosphorous munitions fit that definition, or at least minimally give us a definition to debate?
 
This being the science and technology forum, should you not open by suggesting a precise definition of a chemical weapon, then show how white phosphorous munitions fit that definition, or at least minimally give us a definition to debate?
Nothing keeps you from using your Google to look these things up.
 
White Phosphorous (aka Willy Pete) is a horrible weapon. It sticks to anything & burns in air. But on MSNBC this AM Kristen Welker spoke about phosphorous and CHEMICAL WEAPONS as if the two were in different classes. They are but in terms of how they kill & maim people.

White Phosphorus isn't covered under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in most circumstances. I'll refer you to the following statement by Peter Kaiser of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons:

"No it's not forbidden by the CWC if it is used within the context of a military application which does not require or does not intend to use the toxic properties of white phosphorus. White phosphorus is normally used to produce smoke, to camouflage movement.

"If that is the purpose for which the white phosphorus is used, then that is considered under the Convention legitimate use.

"If on the other hand the toxic properties of white phosphorus, the caustic properties, are specifically intended to be used as a weapon, that of course is prohibited, because the way the Convention is structured or the way it is in fact applied, any chemicals used against humans or animals that cause harm or death through the toxic properties of the chemical are considered chemical weapons."

"If on the other hand the toxic properties of white phosphorus, the caustic properties, are specifically intended to be used as a weapon, that of course is prohibited, because the way the Convention is structured or the way it is in fact applied, any chemicals used against humans or animals that cause harm or death through the toxic properties of the chemical are considered chemical weapons."

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For an extensive list of the Chemical Weapons currently banned under the terms of the CWC, I'll refer you to the following document:

Handbook on Chemicals 2022 (PDF)
 
White Phosphorous (aka Willy Pete) is a horrible weapon. It sticks to anything & burns in air. But on MSNBC this AM Kristen Welker spoke about phosphorous and CHEMICAL WEAPONS as if the two were in different classes. They are but in terms of how they kill & maim people.

Lead is a chemical. So is gun powder.
 
Imagine someone argued they were using a nuclear weapon in a civilian area to destroy harmful bacteria and that therefore it wasn't a warcrime because the purpose wasn't to kill people in a horrible fashion.
 
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