Biological warfare treatyIn 1972, the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban an entire category of weapons, the Biological Weapons Convention, was opened for signature. It is an agreement banning biological warfare, by prohibiting development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons and by their destruction. Since then, most of the nations of the world have signed or acceded, including ratification on 26 Mar 1975, by the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. China acceded later (15 Nov 1984). Some ratified it earlier, such as Canada (18 Sep 1972). Israel and several African countries have not joined. Biological weapons are devices which spread disease-causing organisms (such as anthrax, smallpox, plague) or poisons to kill or harm humans, animals or plants.« |
