Thiodiglycol is a very common precursor, used in the production of herbicides and pesticides for farming. It was delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture. But it can also be used to produce poison gas.
Chlorine is an essential component of any water purification system. But again, it can be used to produce poison gas.
We also provided laboratory samples of anthrax and other livestock disease pathogens to the Ministry of Agriculture. Unfortunately, they could also be used in a biological weapons program.
The critical components of a bacteriological or chemical weapons program are not the bacteria or the chemicals, but the sophisticated equipment and training that are needed to turn them into weapons. These were provided by the French, the Germans and the Soviets.
Yes, that's right: the very same people who fought so hard against a war resolution at the UN Security Council. What a coincidence.
"Included in the approved sales are the following biological materials (which have been considered by various nations for use in war), with their associated disease symptoms:[56]
Bacillus Anthracis: anthrax is a disease producing bacteria identified by the Department of Defense in The Conduct of the Persian Gulf War: Final Report to Congress, as being a major component in the Iraqi biological warfare program.
Anthrax is an often-fatal infectious disease due to ingestion of spores. It begins abruptly with high fever, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. The disease eventually results in septicemia (blood poisoning), and the mortality is high. Once septicemia is advanced, antibiotic therapy may prove useless, probably because the exotoxins remain, despite the death of the bacteria.
Clostridium Botulinum: a bacterial source of botulinum toxin, which causes vomiting, constipation, thirst, general weakness, headache, fever, dizziness, double vision, dilation of the pupils and paralysis of the muscles involving swallowing. It is often fatal.
Histoplasma Capsulatum: causes a disease superficially resembling tuberculosis that may cause pneumonia, enlargement of the liver and spleen, anemia, an influenza-like illness and an acute inflammatory skin disease marked by tender red nodules, usually on the shins. Reactivated infection usually involves the lungs, the brain, spinal membranes, heart, peritoneum, and the adrenals.
Brucella Melitensis: a bacteria which can cause chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, profuse sweating when at rest, pain in joints and muscles, insomnia, nausea, and damage to major organs.
Clostridium Perfringens: highly toxic bacteria, which cause gas gangrene. The bacteria produce toxins that move along muscle bundles in the body killing cells and producing necrotic tissue that is then favorable for further growth of the bacteria itself. Eventually, these toxins and bacteria enter the bloodstream and cause a systemic illness.
In addition, several shipments of Escherichia Coli (E.Coli) and genetic materials, as well as human and bacterial DNA, were shipped directly to the Iraq Atomic Energy Commission.
The following is a detailed listing of biological materials, provided by the American Type Culture Collection, which were exported to agencies of the government of Iraq pursuant to the issuance of an export licensed by the U.S. Commerce Department: [57]
Date : February 8, 1985
Sent to : Iraq Atomic Energy Agency
Materials Shipped:
Ustilago nuda (Jensen) Rostrup
Date: February 22, 1985
Sent to: Ministry of Higher Education
Materials Shipped:
Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum (ATCC 32136) Class III pathogen
Date: July 11, 1985
Sent to: Middle and Near East Regional A
Materials Shipped:
Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum (ATCC 32136) Class III pathogen
Date: May 2, 1986
Sent to: Ministry of Higher Education
Materials Shipped:
Bacillus Anthracis Cohn (ATCC 10)
Batch # 08-20-82 (2 each)
Class III pathogen.
Bacillus Subtitles (Ehrenberg) Con (ATCC 82)
Batch # 06-20-84 (2 each)
Clostridium botulinum Type A (ATCC 3502)
Batch# 07-07-81 (3 each)
Class III Pathogen
Clostridium perfringens (Weillon and Zuber) Hauduroy, et al (ATCC 3624)
Batch# 10-85SV (2 each)
Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051)
Batch# 12-06-84 (2 each)
Francisella tularensis var. tularensis Olsufiev (ATCC 6223)
Batch# 05-14-79 (2 each)
Avirulent; suitable for preparations of diagnostic antigens.
Clostridium tetani (ATCC 9441)
Batch 03-94 (3 each)
Highly toxigenic.
Clostridium botulinum Type E (ATCC 9564)
Batch# 03-02-79 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium tetani (ATCC 10779)
Batch# 04-24-84S (3 each)
Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 12916)
Batch# 08-14-80 (2 each)
Agglutinating Type 2.
Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 13124)
Batch# 08-14-80 (3 each)
Type A, alpha-toxigenic, produces lecithinase C.J. Appl,
Bacillus Anthracis (ATCC 14185)
Batch# 01-14-80 (3 each)
G.G. Wright (Fort Detrick) V770-NPI-R. Bovine anthrax,
Class III pathogen
Bacillus Anthracis (ATCC 14578)
Batch# 01-06-78 (2 each)
Class III pathogen.
Bacillus megaterium (ATCC 14581)
Batch# 04-18-85 (2 each)
Bacillus megaterium (ATCC 14945)
Batch# 06-21-81 (2 each)
Clostridium botulinum Type E (ATCC 17855)
Batch# 06-21-71
Class III pathogen.
Bacillus megaterium (ATCC 19213)
Batch# 3-84 (2 each)
Clostridium botulinum Type A (ATCC 19397)
Batch# 08-18-81 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Brucella abortus Biotype 3 (ATCC 23450)
Batch# 08-02-84 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Brucella abortus Biotype 9 (ATCC 23455)
Batch# 02-05-68 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Brucella melitensis Biotype I (ATCC 23456)
Batch# 03-08-78 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Brucella melitensis Biotype 3 (ATCC 23458)
Batch# 01-29-68 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium botulinum Type A (ATCC 25763)
Batch# 8-83 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium botulinum Type F (ATCC 35415)
Batch# 02-02-84 (2 each)
Class III pathogen
Date: August 31, 1987
Sent to: State Company for Drug Industries
Materials Shipped:
Saccharomyces cerevesiae (ATCC 2601)
Batch# 08-28-08 (1 each)
Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis Serotype typhi
(ATCC 6539) Batch# 06-86S (1 each)
Bacillus subtillus (ATCC 6633)
Batch# 10-85 (2 each)
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae (ATCC 10031)
Batch# 08-13-80 (1 each)
Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536)
Batch# 04-09-80 (1 each)
Bacillus cereus (11778)
Batch# 05-85SV (2 each)
Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228)
Batch# 11-86s (I each)|
Bacillus pumilus (ATCC 14884)
Batch# 09-08-80 (2each)
Date : July 11, 1988
Sent to : Iraq Atomic Energy Commission
Materials Shipped:
Escherichia coli (ATCC 11303)
Batch# 04-87S
Phage host
Cauliflower Mosaic Caulimovirus (ATCC45031)
Batch# 06-14-85
Plant virus
Plasmid in Agrobacterium Turnefaciens (ATCC37349)
Ti plasmid for co-cultivation with plant integration vectors in E.
Coli) Batch# 05-28-85
Date: April 26, 1988
Sent to: Iraq Atomic Energy Commission
Materials Shipped:
Hulambda4x-8, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s) X q26.1 (ATCC
57236) Phage vector; Suggested host: E.coli
Hulambdal4-8, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s): X q26.1
(ATCC 57240) Phage vector; Suggested host: E.coli
Hulambda15, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s) X q26.1
(ATCC 57242) Phage vector; Suggested host: E.coli
Date: August 31, 1987
Sent to: Iraq Atomic Energy Commission
Materials Shipped:
Escherichia coli (ATCC 23846)
Batch# 07-29-83 (1 each)
Escherichia coli (ATCC 33694)
Batch# 05-87 (1 each)
Date: September 29, 1988
Sent to: Ministry of Trade
Materials Shipped:
Bacillus anthracis (ATCC 240)
Batch#05-14-63 (3 each) Class
III pathogen
Bacillus anthracis (ATCC 938)
Batch#1963 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 3629)
Batch#10-23-85 (3 each)
Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 8009)
Batch#03-30-84 (3 each)
Bacillus anthracis (ATCC 8705)
Batch# 06-27-62 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Brucella abortus; (ATCC 9014)
Batch# 05-11-66 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 10388)
Batch# 06-01-73 (3 each)
Bacillus anthracis (.ATCC 11966)
Batch# 05-05-70 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Clostridium botulinum Type A
Batch# 07-86 (3 each)
Class III pathogen
Bacillus cereus (ATCC 33018)
Batch# 04-83 (3 each)
Bacillus ceres (ATCC 33019)
Batch# 03-88 (3 each)
Date : January 31, 1989
Sent to : Iraq Atomic Energy Commission
Materials Shipped:
PHPT31, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s) X q26.1
(ATCC 57057)
plambda5OO, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase pseudogene (HPRT)
Chromosome(s): 5 p14-pI3 (ATCC 57212)
Date: January 17, 1989
Sent to: Iraq Atomic Energy Commission
Materials Shipped:
Hulambda4x-8, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s) X q26.1
(ATCC 57237) Phage vector Suggested host: E.coli
Hulambda14, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s): X q26.1
(ATCC 57240) Cloned from human lymphoblast
Phage vector Suggested host: E.coli
Hulambda15, clone: human hypoxanthine
phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) Chromosome(s) X q26.1
(ATCC 57241) Phage vector Suggested host: E.coli
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control has compiled a listing of biological materials shipped to Iraq prior to the Gulf War. The listing covers the period from October 1, 1984 (when the CDC began keeping records) through October 13, 1993. The following materials with biological warfare significance were shipped to Iraq during this period:[58]
Date: November 28, 1989
Sent to: University of Basrah, College of Science, Department of Biology
Materials Shipped:
Enterococcus faecalis
Enterococcus faecium
Enterococcus avium
Enterococcus raffinosus
Enterococcus gallinarium.
Enterococcus durans
Enterococcus hirae
Streptococcus bovis
(etiologic)
Date: April 21, 1986
Sent to: Officers City Al-Muthanna, Quartret 710, Street 13, Close 69
House 2811, Baghdad, Iraq
Materials Shipped:
vial botulinum toxoid
(non-infectious)
Date: March 10, 1986
Sent to: Officers City Al-Muthanna, Quartret 710, Street 13, Close 69
House 28/1, Baghdad, Iraq
Materials Shipped:
1 vial botulinum toxoid #A2
(non-infectious)
Date: June 25, 1985
Sent to: University of Baghdad, College of Medicine , Department of Microbiology
Materials Shipped:
3 yeast cultures
(etiologic)
Candida. sp.
Date : May21, 1985
Sent to : Basrah, Iraq
Materials Shipped:
Lyophilized arbovirus seed
(etiologic)
West Nile Fever Virus
Date: April 26, 1985
Sent to: Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, Baghdad, Iraq
Materials Shipped:
8 vials antigen and antisera
(r. rickettsii and r. typhi)
to diagnose rickettsial
infections (non-infectious)"
--from the Riegle Report. That's a lot of highly technical names, most of which is unrecognizable to a layman like me; I can see how someone unschooled could find that list alarming. Can any chemists out there tell me how commonly such stuff is traded, and whether we were likely Iraq's only source for it?