2. Multi-Use Chemicals: Beneficial Uses and Power of Abuse in Human Hands

As we’ve seen in the example above, the Ephedra plant and the chemicals extracted from it have been used by humans for thousands of years for beneficial medicinal purposes, and in a very short period of time, turned by other humans to harmful and destructive purposes. Many of the chemicals we synthesize and extract from nature can be used for both beneficial and destructive purposes. We call these chemical substances multi-use materials. Choices about the beneficial use, misuse, and abuse of these multi-use chemicals lie in our hands.

The pseudoephedrine/Crystal Meth example has some intriguing parallels with other multi-use chemical and biological substances that have many beneficial applications, but have also been abused in the past century by conversion into weapons of destruction. We would hardly recognize many of these substances as they are so commonly used to enrich our lives. A solvent like isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, for example, is a clear and flammable liquid that is used as a disinfectant in hospitals and homes, and a low cost solvent for many applications, including extracting natural products and cleaning and drying electronic components.

Yet isopropyl alcohol also plays a key role in the synthesis of some of the most toxic nerve agents that humans have produced, such as Sarin, the agent used effectively in an attack on the subway system in Tokyo during the peak of morning rush hour on March 20, 1995. In the Tokyo incident, 12 people were killed and one thousand others injured. The final step in the production of Sarin involved mixing two precursors with isopropyl alcohol to produce the nerve agent, which was carried on to the subways in 11 plastic bags and released by poking umbrella points through the plastic.

The preceeding information was compiled from various online references. For more information about Sarin and mustard gas, refer to Section 4: Chemical Warfare Agents.

Let's continue to explore examples of multi-use chemicals by taking a look at the devastating effects of many multi-use chemicals that are abused as chemical weapons.