[hchutch]

Chemical weapons lose their potency as they get older.

Newer stuff from the 2001-2003 timeframe would also show that Saddam Hussein was still attempting to maintain an arsenal of chemical weapons.

[Lady Heron]

O.K. that makes some sense. So the next question is how long does is sarin potent for and why were we so anxious to get the last of Saddams stocks of it destroyed if it was degrading so fast? Were we not ourselves having a difficult time of destroying our own Chemical weapons left over from WWII and Vietnam? They are still potent enough to be very dangerous.