22. Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (Geneva, 17 June 1925).

22.Geneva, 17 June 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. The undersigned are authorized on behalf of their respective Governments: Considering that the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, as well as all analogous liquids, materials and processes, has been justly condemned by public opinion of the civilized world; Considering that the prohibition of this application was formulated in the treaties, the participants in which are the majority of the world’s governments; to be universally accepted as the logged in international law, this prohibition, binding both the conscience and practice of nations; state: that the High Contracting Parties, since they are not already parties to the treaties prohibiting this use, accept this prohibition, agree to extend the ban on bacteriological warfare equipment and agree to be bound to each other by provision of this Declaration. The High Contracting Parties will exert every effort to induce other States to accede to this Protocol. This accession will be notified by the Government of the French Republic, and the last - all signatory and acceding states. It would come into effect from the date of notification by the Government of the French Republic. This Protocol, French and English texts will be considered authentic, shall be ratified as soon as possible. It will be the date of this day. Ratification of the Protocol will be forwarded to the Government of the French Republic, which shall notify each signatory and acceding power of acceptance of such deposit. Instruments of ratification or accession are deposited in the archives of the Government of the French Republic. This Protocol shall enter into force for each signatory state since ratification, and from that moment such state will be linked to other states, have already carried out the delivery of their ratifications. In witness whereof the Plenipotentiaries have signed this Protocol. Done at Geneva in a single copy on seventeen day of June one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five.

23. General characteristics of nuclear and radiological weapons A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans (and other life forms) and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere in general.

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission ("atomic") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. The first thermonuclear ("hydrogen") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 10,000,000 tons of TNT.

A radiological weapon or radiological dispersion device (RDD) is any weapon that is designed to spread radioactive with the intent to kill and cause disruption.

One version, known as a dirty bomb, is not a true nuclear weapon and does not yield the same explosive power. It uses conventional to spread radioactive material, most commonly the spent fuels from nuclear power plants or radioactive medical waste.

Radiological weapons of mass destruction have been suggested as a possible weapon of terrorism used to create panic and casualties in densely populated areas. They could also render a great deal of property useless for an extended period, unless costly remediation was undertaken. The radiological source and quality greatly impacts the effectiveness of a radiological weapon.