Phosphorus Bombs (UPSC Current Affairs)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, Ukrainian police accused the Russian forces of launching phosphorus bomb attacks (chemical weapons) in the eastern Ukrainian areas of Lugansk and Donetsk, known as the Donbas.
• International laws prohibit the use of white phosphorus shells in heavily populated civilian areas but allow them to be used as cover for troops in open areas.

What is meant by Phosphorus Bomb?

• White phosphorus munitions are weapons that utilize one of the chemical elements phosphorus's most common allotropes.
• White phosphorus is pyrophoric (it ignites when it comes into contact with air), and it can ignite cloth, fuel, ammunition, and other combustibles.
• Apart from that, it is used in tracer ammunition's smoke, illumination, and burning elements.
• White phosphorus, in addition to its offensive capabilities, is a highly efficient smoke-producing chemical, reacting with air to produce an immediate blanket of phosphorus pentoxide vapor.
• Effects: Apart from direct injuries caused by fragments of their casings, white phosphorus munitions can cause injuries in two ways: burn injuries and vapor inhalation.

What is meant by chemical weapons?

• A chemical weapon is a toxic substance that is used to cause intentional death or harm.
• Chemical weapons also include munitions, devices, and other equipment specifically designed to weaponize toxic chemicals.

What is the International Law on the Use of Chemical Weapons?

• The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral treaty that bans the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a stipulated time.
• The CWC negotiations began in 1980 at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament.
• The convention was drafted in September 1992 and became available for signature in January 1993. It came into effect in April 1997.
• It makes the destruction of old and abandoned chemical weapons mandatory.
• Members should also declare the riot-control agents (commonly known as "tear gas") in their possession.
• The treaty was signed by India in January 1993. To put the CWC into effect, the Chemical Weapons Convention Act of 2000 was passed.

Prohibitions:

• Using chemical weapons.
• Transferring of the chemical weapons.
• The development, production, acquisition, stockpiling of chemical weapons.
• Using riot-control devices as ‘warfare methods’.
• Assisting the other States to indulge in activities that are prohibited by the CWC.
• Apart from the CWC, the Australia Group seeks to check the proliferation of biological or chemical weapons.