ABSTRACT More than 165 States Parties have ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed not to develop, produce, stockpile, transfer or use chemical weapons and to destroy their own chemical weapons and production facilities. The Chemical Weapons Convention has reduced the likelihood of chemical weapons use by States Parties, but there remains a serious concern that other parties may make use of these weapons against civilian or military targets. Heightened concerns over possible terrorist use, continued interest within the defence community and the requirements for a verifiable Chemical Weapons Convention, have all driven the development and application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods for chemical warfare agents. Considerable research effort has been expended over the past several years due to increased security concerns and this review covers recent advances and applications of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the detection, characterization and confirmation of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products. Potential areas for new research efforts have also be identified.
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