Bulletins

Parameters for Evaluation of the Fate, Transport, and Environmental Impacts of Chemical Agents in Marine Environments

“…4 Most of these reports concern fishermen who inadvertently snared plastic lumps of the agent sulfur mustard in their nets. The United States disposed of a total of approximately 30 000 tons of chemical agent in several locations off its Atlantic 5,6 and Pacific coasts 5,7 as well as in Alaskan and Hawaiian waters. 5,8 In 1972, Congress enacted the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, which explicitly prohibited disposal of chemical agents in ocean waters.…”

“…This incident brought renewed attention to the practice of sea disposal both in the popular press 11,12 and in the technical literature. 6,7 Many of the chemical munitions that were disposed of 40-80 years ago have not yet ruptured or leaked; a large proportion of the discarded 30 000 tons remains on the sea floor. In response to this renewed public attention, Congress passed section 314(c) of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, 13 requiring the Department of Defense to conduct research on the effects of chemical munitions disposed of in U.S. ocean waters.…”