Editing Non-lethal weapon (section)

===Safety and legal status===
In the United States, the University of Texas-Austin Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) conducts basic research to advance electrodynamics and hypervelocity physics related to electromagnetic weapons.<ref>Exploiting Technical Opportunities to Capture Advanced Capabilities for Our Soldiers; Army AL&T; 2007 Oct-Dec; Dr. Reed Skaggs [https://web.archive.org/web/20090219135915/http://asc.army.mil/docs/pubs/alt/2007/4_OctNovDec/articles/16_Exploiting_Technical_Opportunities_to_Capture_Advanced_Capabilities_for_Our_Soldiers_200710.pdf Exploiting Technical Opportunities to Capture Advanced Capabilities for Our Soldiers] </ref>

Although generally considered "non-lethal weapons", electromagnetic weapons do pose health threats to humans.  In fact, "non-lethal weapons can sometimes be deadly."<ref>Air University Research Template: "[https://web.archive.org/web/20051119210739/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cst/csat34.pdf NON-LETHAL WEAPONS: SETTING OUR PHASERS ON STUN? Potential Strategic Blessings and Curses of Non-Lethal Weapons on the Battlefield]"; Erik L. Nutley, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF; August 2003; Occasional Paper No. 34; Center for Strategy and Technology; Air War College; Air University; Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; PG12</ref>

[[United States Department of Defense]] policy explicitly states that non-lethal weapons "shall not be required to have a zero probability of producing fatalities or permanent injuries."<ref>Department of Defense; DIRECTIVE; [https://web.archive.org/web/20110322204520/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/300003p.pdf NUMBER 3000.3]; July 9, 1996; Certified Current as of November 21, 2003; ASD(SO/LIC); SUBJECT: Policy for Non-Lethal Weapons; References: (a) Title 10, United States Code; (b) DoD Directive TS-3600.1, "Information Warfare (U)", December 21, 1992; PG. 3</ref>  Although a Human Effects Advisory Panel was established in 1998 to provide independent assessment on human effects, data, and models for the use of 'non-lethal weapons' on the general population,<ref>[http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/nld4/kenny.pdf Human Effects Advisory Panel Program] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041114161030/http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/nld4/kenny.pdf |date=2004-11-14 }}; presented to: NDIANon-Lethal Defense IV</ref> the TECOM Technology Symposium in 1997 concluded on non-lethal weapons: "Determining the target effects on personnel is the greatest challenge to the testing community," primarily because  "the potential of injury and death severely limits human tests."  However, "[[Directed-energy weapon|directed energy weapons]] that target the central nervous system and cause neurophysiological disorders" may violate the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons]] of 1980. And weapons that go beyond non-lethal intentions and cause "superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering" could violate the [[Protocol I]] to the [[Geneva Conventions]] of 1977."<ref>[http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/jfq_pubs/1621.pdf Non-Lethal Weaponry: From Tactical to Strategic Applications] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031223201043/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/jfq_pubs/1621.pdf |date=2003-12-23 }}; Colonel Dennis B. Herbert, USMC (Ret.), program developer, Institute for Non-Lethal Defense Technologies at [[Pennsylvania State University]]; pg. 4</ref> Safety and evaluation of the physical and psychological effects of the long-term or repetitive uses of the [[pain]]-inducing non-lethal weapons on humans have not been well understood or studied in any great details. Any such studies require explicit consent of all participants so as not to violate the UN Convention against torture and other cruelties.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}