OPCW-designated laboratory
The Chemical Weapons Convention on the Prohibiton of Chemical Weapons
Following tough negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was presented for signature in Paris in January 1993. This convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and calls for the destruction of existing chemical weapons and production facilities. After a sufficient number of signatory states had ratified the convention, it entered into force in 1997, where by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) with headquarters in The Hague became responsible for the verification of compliance with this convention.
The path toward an OPCW-designated laboratory
SPIEZ LABORATORY has participated in internationally organised inter-laboratory proficiency tests in the framework of chemical disarmament since 1989. From 1989-1994, so-called "round robin" tests were carried out to develop and validate standard operating procedures for testing different types of samples for the presence of chemical warfare agents and related compounds. The "interlaboratory comparison tests," which were later organised under the leadership of the OPCW, served to develop these methods further, as well as to compare the capabilities of the participating laboratories. Starting in 1996, "proficiency tests" were used to develop a network of designated laboratories which could be assigned analytical tasks by the OPCW to verify compliance with the convention. In 1998 after passing all the "proficiency tests" with the highest grades, SPIEZ LABORATORY was among the first institutes to be named as one of the few OPCW-designated laboratories worldwide.
We make a considerable contribution to the creation and further development of the "OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD)", which contains analytical data on chemical warfare agents and related compounds significant for the CWC.