Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

Certain toxic chemicals and their precursors are subject to legal requirements under the CWC, the first arms-control treaty to introduce a verifiable ban on an entire class of weapons of mass destruction. The University is required to make an annual declaration on the productions, processing, consumption and import and export of these substances.

  • If you have in this calendar year bought or used any chemicals which were purchased in previous years or imported or exported or produced any of the chemicals in the Schedule 2 list, or in the Schedule 3 list, you need to fill in the forms for the annual return, which will take place next January.
  • The following table will help you decide which forms you need to fill in:
ChemicalS2 FormS3 Form
S2 bought in this calendar year from a UK company and not used X
S2 bought in this calendar year from a UK company and used all or part of it in this calendar year X
S2 bought before this calendar year from a UK company and used all or part of it in this calendar year X
S3 bought in this calendar year from a UK company and used or not used X
S3 produced/manufactured in this calendar year X
S2 or S3 imported and/or exported in this calendar year Contact RCO for further information Contact RCO for further information

‌Definitions under CWC used in the S2 form:

  • Production: formation through a chemical reactions or synthesis.
  • Processing: physical manipulation of a chemical without a chemical reaction taking place, i.e. purification, crystallization, concentration…
  • Consumption: conversion of a chemical into another chemical through a chemical reaction involving the making or braking of chemical bonds.

If you need a licence for any Schedule 1 chemicals, contact the University Regulatory Compliance Officer (RCO) for help with the application.

Safety Services, Compliance and Risk; Dr I. Barinaga-Rementeria Ramirez; Issued:28 March 2017, last reviewed December 2018; Next review: December 2019