Finding the Source of Chemical Weapons Using Forensic Technologies

Despite an international ban on their use, chemical weapons have been used over the past 10 years in assassinations and on civilian populations. When a chemical weapon is used, investigators may use forensic technologies to detect that it was used, identify the chemical, and help attribute it to a likely source. Challenges to such investigations include small or degraded samples. These can result if investigators can't reach a site soon enough after an attack, or if it takes a long time to get samples to a lab. We present 6 policy options to help decision makers address this and other challenges.