[The_Reader_David]

I never got a reply to an e-mail I sent the CIA before the ISG released its report regarding the stockpiled pesticides stored in Iraqi munitions dumps. The gist of it was: "Which pesticides? In terms of cutaneous LD50 tetraethylpyrophosphate (TEPP) is about as toxic as sarin, and the Canadian intelligence services list both TEPP and parathion as potential chemical agents for a terrorist attack." We know from the news reports of their finding that they field tested as nerve agents, and sickened the troops who found them with symptoms consistent with nerve agents.

Not being an organic chemist or weapons expert, I don't know whether TEPP has some property that makes disbursal by artillery shell (or bomb) infeasible, but I sure as heck don't want an al Qaeda cropduster loaded with the stuff anywhere over the US. I searched the ISG's public report and it didn't mention pesticides except in the context of discussions of the Iraqi chemical industry.

I've been wondering ever since whether, as the suggestion in this post has it, the Ba'athists just stockpiled chemicals which could be used both as CW agents and for other purposes--not dual use technology, dual use weapons.

[Jeff Head]

Good point...in addition to the traditional dual use nature.