Chemical weapons confirmed in Iraq

[Rudey]

If they were there before and we and the UN have that documented and they are not there now, with no explanation that means Saddam got rid of them?

Saddam, a bloody dictator who would do anything to stay in power, wasn't willing to show UN inspectors for years where he got rid of these weapons?

-Rudey

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by swissmiss04
How does one go about hiding 100-500 tons of chemical weapons?

In fairness, there's a lot of desert over there in which to hide even that amount of stuff. And, there are other countries who would probably help -- although I would hope that CIA or someone would have some information if it had been moved to another country. That kind of secret is pretty hard to keep. Not impossible, though.

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by Jadey28
hijack... Mustard "gas" will not crystalize.

I stand corrected...

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by swissmiss04
How does one go about hiding 100-500 tons of chemical weapons? Furthermore, how is it that we haven't found them? We've bombed the hell out of Iraq and been pretty much everywhere, yet we still haven't found them. Doesn't sound like a conservative estimate to me.

They could very easily be buried in the dessert, like they were found after the 1991 Gulf War. Sattelites can't scan below sand.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss
They could very easily be buried in the dessert, like they were found after the 1991 Gulf War. Sattelites can't scan below sand.

That's true, but the movement that much stuff could probably have been noticed by satellites.

If we knew what to look for. That's a big if.

There a saying that if more than one person knows a secret, it isn't safe. It's hard to believe that these quantities could be moved in secret. But, again, not impossible.

[James]

We forgget that pretty girls can be bright and knowledgeable to, thanks fot reminding us Jadey28.

Originally posted by Jadey28
hijack...


Mustard "gas" will not crystalize. Mustard is a thick, syrupy substance that will break down into hydrocholoric acid and thiodiglycol when sodium hydroxide and water are added. This process is called hydroloysis. Mustard is dependant on pH and moisture and can remain active up to three years in soil. Mustard will not decompose until reaching the temperature of 300-351 degrees F.

and others concluded the mustard gas was "stored improperly," which made the gas "ineffective." ~ very misleading statement. Optimal conditions might not have existed, however, mustard doesn't 'deactivate' itself. For instance, if the mustard is stored in cold conditions, it will remain a solid substance, thus decreasing exposure to anyone. If mustard is stored in hot conditions, it will liquify (think runny syrup) yet remain stable.

Sorry, I deal with the Chemical Warfare Agents on a daily basis and I wanted to correct what the article had implied.

end hijack

[James]

I think Saddam was in a wierd postion, in order to stay in power he couildn't afford to look weak in front of his people. A weak dictator is a dead one.

So he postured himself into destruction.

Originally posted by Rudey
If they were there before and we and the UN have that documented and they are not there now, with no explanation that means Saddam got rid of them?

Saddam, a bloody dictator who would do anything to stay in power, wasn't willing to show UN inspectors for years where he got rid of these weapons?

-Rudey

[Rudey]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
That's true, but the movement that much stuff could probably have been noticed by satellites.

If we knew what to look for. That's a big if.

There a saying that if more than one person knows a secret, it isn't safe. It's hard to believe that these quantities could be moved in secret. But, again, not impossible.

We couldn't determine India and Pakistan's nuclear capabilities until they were tested. More than one person knew.

We still can't determine where North Korea maintains its nuclear weapons.

Information, little by little, trickles out about Iran's nuclear capabilities, but we still know nothing really about where it is kept and to what extent it has developed.

When Libya removed the veil of secrecy on its weapons program, we were taken by surprise on what was in there.

-Rudey
--Some secrets are very difficult to discover

[DeltAlum]

All of your points are correct, but I would think that moving that much material would be easier to detect than static installations -- even nuke facilities.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by James
We forgget that pretty girls can be bright and knowledgeable to

Hey, speak for yourself. I married one!

[Rudey]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
All of your points are correct, but I would think that moving that much material would be easier to detect than static installations -- even nuke facilities.

Most of the rogue countries moved items around constantly. We can't determine where weapons are just by satellite.

-Rudey

[RACooper]

Just because we can't see them or find them doesn't mean that there not out there.

Of course the reverse is true too....

Just because we can't see them or find any doesn't mean that they exist but are hidden.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by RACooper
Just because we can't see them or find them doesn't mean that there not out there.

Of course the reverse is true too....

Just because we can't see them or find any doesn't mean that they exist but are hidden.

The difference is that we knew they were there before. There is some context to this let's not forget.

-Rudey

[RACooper]

True... most of the chemicals were supplied to Saddam in the 80's. But the storage life of many of the chemical weapons is around 15-20 years; after this period most of the weapons would be either inert or unstable... most.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by RACooper
True... most of the chemicals were supplied to Saddam in the 80's. But the storage life of many of the chemical weapons is around 15-20 years; after this period most of the weapons would be either inert or unstable... most.

Read up a few posts by Jadey who is a chemist that has prior work experience with these materials. She seems to indicate no.

-Rudey