Why are some Schedule 3 chemicals allowed to have legitimate commercial uses?

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American soldiers in World War I uniforms, some wearing gas masks, advance with rifles during a simulated gas attack exercise on a rocky battlefield. — chemical weapon American soldiers participating in a simulated gas attack exercise, World War I.

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), chemicals are categorized into three schedules based on their risk and utility. Schedule 3 chemicals are classified as "dual-use" substances.1

These chemicals are permitted for legitimate commercial use because they are produced worldwide in large quantities for essential industrial and civilian purposes, despite also posing a potential risk to the goals of the CWC. Because these substances have significant nonmilitary applications, a total ban would be impractical and economically disruptive. Instead, the treaty subjects them to oversight and verification procedures administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to ensure they are not diverted for the development or production of chemical weapons.1