[CalKat]

Are chem and bio weapons necessarily small? Colin Powell referred to up to 500 tons of chem or bio weapons. Isn't that like a million pounds?

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Are chem and bio weapons necessarily small? Colin Powell referred to up to 500 tons of chem or bio weapons. Isn't that like a million pounds?

I'm guessing that the weight of a chem- or bio-weapon is going to be comprised mostly of the container--i.e., the warhead that contains, delivers, and disperses the agent. Assuming that the weight of the container alone makes up 90% of the total weight, Powell's estimate of 1,000,000 lb of weapons reduces to about 100,000 lb of agents.

Assuming the agents have a density similar to water, a 19,400-gal rail tank car could hold 162,000 lb. Less than 2/3 of a rail tank car--it would be a very simple matter to hide that much material in a country the size of California or to transport to fellow Ba'athists in Syria.