Chlorine : Chemical Agent With Corrosive Properties And A Potential Weapon Of Mass Destruction

• Chlorine is widely used industrial chemical agent with corrosive properties and a potential weapon of mass destruction. • At standard temperature and pressure exists as Greenish-yellow color irritant gas. Under high pressure or low temperature, it turns to clear, amber-colored liquid. • Chlorine has a suffocating pungent odor.2 • Chlorine is heavier than air, and therefore it will remain near the ground in areas with little air movement. 2 • It is used in water treatment, household cleaning products, manufacturing solvents, pesticides, synthetic rubber, and refrigerants. • Chlorine represents a persistent hazardous material (HAZMAT) threat. 3 • The United States industrial production is over 15 million tons each year. 3 • Chlorine manufactured in less than twenty states and needs to be transported across the United States to storage facilities near urban areas with minimum security measures.3 Exposure and Transmission Characteristics • The relative ease in acquiring large quantities of Chlorine gas could allow terrorists to deploy a chemical weapon in a highly populated area without having to manufacture or transport it themselves.3 • Unfortunately, many at-risk cities are unaware of the volume of chlorine that is stored near them or transported through their area.3 • Liquid Chlorine can be used to contaminate water • Recent events in the Iraq war and large-scale industrial incidents highlighted the chorine threat to the world if it is acquired by terrorist. 3 • Each