Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea
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Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea Report of the ad hoc Expert Group to Update and Review the Existing Information on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM MUNI) This document is a background document for the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting. Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. XX Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea Report of the ad hoc Expert Group to Update and Review the Existing Information on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM MUNI) Helsinki Commission Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Authors: Tobias Knobloch (Dr.), Jacek Bełdowski, Claus Böttcher, Martin Söderström, Niels-Peter Rühl, Jens Sternheim For bibliographic purposes this document should be cited as: HELCOM, 2013 Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea. Report of the ad hoc Expert Group to Update and Review the Existing Information on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM MUNI) Balt. Sea Environ. Proc. No. XXX Number of pages: XX Information included in this publication or extracts thereof are free for citation on the condition that the complete reference of the publication is given as stated above Copyright 2013 by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission - Helsinki Commission - ISSN 0357-2994 Language revision: Howard McKee and Minna Pyhälä Editing: Minna Pyhälä and Mikhail Durkin Cover photo: XX Design and layout: XX Printed by: XX Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea Report of the ad hoc Expert Group to Update and Review the Existing Information on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea ( HELCOM MUNI ) 2013 CONTENTS 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 6 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 CHEMU REPORT – SUBJECTS COVERED, RECOMMENDATIONS & FULFILMENT .................................. 10 2.2 MUNI REPORT – SCOPE & PERSPECTIVES ...................................................................................... 11 2.3 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES SINCE 1995 ................................................................... 14 2.3.1 Managerial initiatives .............................................................................................................. 14 2.3.2 Investigations in the Baltic Sea ............................................................................................... 23 3 CHEMICAL WARFARE MATERIALS DUMPED IN THE BALTIC SEA ........................................... 28 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 28 3.1.1 Dumping activities ................................................................................................................... 29 3.1.2 Modes of dumping .................................................................................................................. 32 3.2 AREAS OF CONCERN ..................................................................................................................... 34 3.2.1 South of Little Belt and transport routes from Flensburg ........................................................ 35 3.2.2 Gotland Basin and transport routes from Wolgast ................................................................. 40 3.2.3 Waters around Bornholm ........................................................................................................ 42 3.2.4 Gdańsk Deep .......................................................................................................................... 52 3.2.5 Beaches of concern for white phosphorus contamination ...................................................... 53 3.3 TYPES, PROPERTIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF CHEMICAL WARFARE MATERIALS ....................... 54 3.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 55 3.3.2 Chemical munitions and other storage containers ................................................................. 56 4 POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMANS .................................. 60 4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 61 4.2 THE RELOCATION AND SPREADING OF WARFARE AGENTS ................................................................ 64 4.2.1 Natural processes ................................................................................................................... 65 4.2.2 Anthropogenic activities .......................................................................................................... 69 4.3 PRESENT THREATS TO HUMANS ..................................................................................................... 69 4.3.1 Fishermen ............................................................................................................................... 70 4.3.2 Offshore construction and maintenance workers ................................................................... 77 4.3.3 Sub-surface entrepreneurs and workers ................................................................................ 78 4.3.4 Harbour staff and workers ...................................................................................................... 79 4.3.5 Rescue and emergency services ........................................................................................... 80 4.3.6 Recreational divers ................................................................................................................. 80 4.3.7 Beach visitors ......................................................................................................................... 81 4.3.8 Seafood consumers ................................................................................................................ 82 4.4 HAZARDS AND THREATS TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT................................................................... 83 4.4.1 Chronic effects ........................................................................................................................ 84 4.4.2 Long-term effects .................................................................................................................... 85 Page 4 of 133 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................. 88 6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 94 7 ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................................ 102 7.1 LISTS OF INCIDENTS .................................................................................................................... 102 7.2 GUIDELINES ................................................................................................................................ 112 7.3 FACTORS FOR HAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENTS ........................................................................... 113 7.4 CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS AND ASSOCIATED COMPOUNDS ........................................................ 115 7.4.1 Sulfur mustard ...................................................................................................................... 118 7.4.2 Nitrogen mustard .................................................................................................................. 121 7.4.3 Lewisite ................................................................................................................................. 122 7.4.4 Adamsite ............................................................................................................................... 123 7.4.5 Clark I, Arsine Oil and Clark II .............................................................................................. 125 7.4.6 Phosgene and Diphosgene .................................................................................................. 126 7.4.7 Tabun .................................................................................................................................... 127 7.4.8 α-Chloroacetophenone ......................................................................................................... 128 7.4.9 Hydrogen cyanide ................................................................................................................. 129 7.4.10 White phosphorus ............................................................................................................. 130 7.5 LIST OF CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS AND INSTITUTIONS ..................................................................... 131 Page 5 of 133 1 Executive summary The continuously increasing scientific knowledge and information resulting from past and on-going activities in the Helsinki Convention Area has made it necessary to update the 1994/95 reports of the ad hoc Working Group on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM CHEMU).The report at hand was prepared by the ad hoc Expert Group to Update and Review the Existing Information on Dumped Chemical Munitions in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM MUNI) and compiled by Poland and Germany. It represents