Conversion of Former BTW Facilities

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Conversion of Former BTW Facilities — Questions and Problems

   • Ernst Buder, Erhard Geissler

   Pages 1-10

3. Conversion of Chemical Weapons Production Facilities Under the Chemical Weapons Convention

   • Thomas Stock

   Pages 11-24

4. Biotechnology in a Peaceful World Economy

   • Malcolm R. Dando

   Pages 25-43

5. Redirecting Biological Warfare Capacity to International Health Biotechnology

   • Robert B. Craven

   Pages 45-51

6. Conversion of BTW Facilities: Lessons from German History

   • Erhard Geissler

   Pages 53-66

7. Challenges of BW Control and Defense During Arms Reduction

   • Gábor Faludi

   Pages 67-72

8. Conversion of Past Biological Weapons Facilities: Lessons from Western Conversion

   • Graham S. Pearson

   Pages 73-83

9. Development of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing at Fort Detrick, Maryland

   • George A. Robertson

   Pages 85-106

10. Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Aspects of Conversion

    • J. Melling

    Pages 107-117

11. The Possibilities and Limitations of Biological Weapons Conversion

    • Milton Leitenberg

    Pages 119-133

12. Controlling Dangerous Pathogens: A Blueprint for U.S.-Russian Cooperation

    • Christopher P. Howson

    Pages 135-148

13. The Need for International Cooperation to Provide Transparency and to Strengthen the BTWC

    • Lev S. Sandakhchiev

    Pages 149-156

14. Redirection of BW Experts in the Framework of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)

    • John Compton, Diana Pobedimskaya

    Pages 157-165

15. Conversion of BW Facilities in Kazakstan

    • Anthony Rimmington

    Pages 167-186

16. Facilitating the Conversion of BTW Facilities Through International Technical Cooperation: BTWC Implications

    • Iris Hunger

    Pages 187-199

17. The AD Hoc Group: Past Biological Weapons Facilities

    • Graham S. Pearson

    Pages 201-208

18. Back Matter

    Pages 209-222

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The development, production, stockpiling and use in war of biological and toxin weapons are prohibited by international law. Although not explicitly stated, the two treaties outlawing such activities, the Geneva Protocol of 1925 and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention of 1972, prohibit the continuation of activities previously performed in Biological and Toxin Weapons facilities not justified for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes. Because conversion and other means of cessation of former BTW facilities are not explicitly addressed in the treaties mentioned above the problems involved in conversion ofBTW facilities have thus far only been discussed marginally in the open literature. In times of increased awareness of the danger of biological and toxin warfare (including the increased danger of terrorist use of biological and toxin weapons) it seemed necessary to us to invite experts from different parts of the world to discuss the pros and cons of conversion and the problems involved. It also became obvious to us that the conversion of former BTW facilities should be discussed with respect to the necessity of peaceful internatioual cooperation in areas related to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. An additional reason to discuss matters of peaceful cooperation is that cooperation is explictly requested by Article X of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

• NATO
• Nation
• Pathogen
• USA
• biotechnology

• Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin-Buch, Germany

  Erhard Geissler, Ernst Buder

• National Research Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene, Budapest, Hungary

  Lajos Gazsó

Policies and ethics