Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons: Aspects, Problems and Solutions

168 Pages·1996·3.993 MB·English

by  M. S. Gorbachev (auth.), Alexander V. Kaffka (eds.)

Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons:
Aspects, Problems and Solutions
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Serles1:DisarmamentTechnologles- Vol.7
Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons:
Aspects, Problems and Solutions
edited by
Alexander V. Kaffka
Institute ofthe USA andCanadian Studies,
Russian AcademyofSelences.
Moscow, Russia
Springer-Science+Business Media,RY.
ProceedingsoftheNATOAdvancedResearchWorkshopon
Sea-DumpedChemicalMunitions
Kaliningrad(MoscowRegion),Russia
January12-15, 1995
AC.I.P.CataloguerecordtorthisbookisavailabletromtheLibraryotCongress
ISBN978-90-481-4714-4 ISBN978-94-015-8713-6(eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-8713-6
Printedonecid-treepaper
AllRightsReserved
©1996SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht
Originallypublished byKluwerAcademicPublishers in1996.
Softcoverreprintofthehardcover1stedition 1996
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo
copying, recordingor byany informationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutwritten
permissionfromthecopyrightowner.
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
ListofParticipants xi
1. FinalDocument
WelcomingAddressbyMikhailGORBACHEV 3
2. Contributing Papers 5
2.1. GENERAL 7
DR.EUGENIUSZANDRULEWICZ,WarGases andAmmunitioninthe
Polish EconomicZone ofthe Baltic Sea 9
DR.LEVA. FEDOROV, Pre-ConventionLiquidationofSovietChemical
Weapons 17
ACAD.A.V.FOKIN,DR.K.K. BABIEVSKY,Chemical "Echo"0/
the Wars 29
MR.MARKJ.FRONDORF, SpecialStudyon theSea DisposalofChemical
Munitions bythe UnitedStates 35
MR.PEROLOFGRANBOM,Investigation 0/aDumpingAreainthe
Skagerrak, 1992 41
DR.THOMASSTOCK,Sea-DumpedChemical Weapons andthe Chemical
Weapons Convention 49
GENERALLEUTENANT(ret)B.T.SURIKOV,How toSave the Baltics
from EcologicalDisaster 67
2.2. TEHNOLOGICALASPECTS 71
DR.RAINALDHÄBER,MR.JÖRGHEDTMANN,UnexplodedOrdnance
Devices:Detection, Recovery andDisposal 73
DR.V.N.KONKOV,The TechnologicalProblems withSea-Dumped
vi
Chemieal Weaponsfrom theStandpoint01DefenceConversionIndustries 87
DR. L.P. MALYSHEV, TeehnologiealQuestions 01SafeElimination 01
CWDumps ontheBaltieSeaBed 93
MR.V.G.PLOTNIKOV, MR. R.A.ZAMYSLOV,GENERAL
LEUTENANT(ret) B.T.SURIKOV, MR.LV.DOBROV,
MR. O.YU. KAYURIN, Applieation 01Anti-Filtering Coatingsfor
Loealisation 01 ToxieWarfareChemiealsintheBaltieSeaArea 105
MR.YU.LSAVIN,MS. E.M. VISHENKOVA, MS.E.M.PASYNKOVA,
MR. LS.KHALIKOV, Chemical-Analytical Control01Environmental
Pollution by WarfareAgents andtheirDegradationProduets 109
2.3. CHEMICALASPECTS 119
DR. G.V. LISICHKIN, Chemieal WeaponsontheSeabed 121
DR.F.VOLK,ReaetionProduets ofChemicalAgents by Thermodynamie
Caleulations 129
DR.GRAHAMF. WHITE, MR.lASON R. SNAPE, MR. S.NICKLIN,
Baeterial Biodegradation ofNitrateEsterExplosives 145
DR.SERGEYS.YUFIT,MR.IGORV.MISKEVICH,
MS. OLGAN.SHTEMBERG,Chemieal WeaponsDumpingand White
Sea Contamination 157
Index 167
Preface
This volume summarises the materials presented at the NATO Advanced Research
Workshop on Sea-Dumped Chemical Munitions, held in Kaliningrad (Moscow
Region), Russia, in January 1995. The conference was sponsored by the NATO
Division of Scientific and Environmental Affairs in the framework of its outreach
programme to develop co-operation between NATO member countries and the
Cooperation Partner countries inthe areaofdisarmament technologies.
The problem ofthe ecological threat posed by chemical weapons (CW) dumped
in the seas after the Second World War deserves considerable international
attention: the amount of these weapons, many ofthem having been captured from
the German Army, is assessed at more than three times as much as the total chemical
arsenals reported by the United States and Russia. They were disposed of in the
shallow depths of North European seas - areas of active fishing - in close
proximity to densely populated coastlines, with no consideration of the long-term
consequences. The highly toxic material have time and again showed up, for
instance when retrieved occasionally in the fishing nets, attracting local media
coverage only.
Nevertheless, this issue has not yet been given adequate and comprehensive
scientific analysis,the sea-disposed munitions are notcovered by either the Chemical
Weapons Convention or other arms control treaties. In fact, the problem has been
neglected for a long time on the international level. Only recently were official data
made available by the countries which admitted conducting dumping operations.
There were a number of reasons for the decades of delay in addressing this
problem, during which time the containers and shells loaded with combat CW were
deteriorating in the sea water. Thegovernmentbodiesofboththe statesthatcarried
out the dumping operations and those bordering the dumping areas were reluctant to
tackle this sensitive problem, especially during the period of East-West tension.
Withthe Cold War now over,the political obstacles to addressing this problem have
mostly been removed. However, there remains the extreme scientificand technical
complexityofthe problem posed by the CW dumps,which requires comprehensive
and profound expertise.
The conference in Kaliningrad was the first attempt to address this issue on a
comprehensive scientific basis.Itwas organised by the NATO Division ofScientific
and Environmental Affairs and the "Conversion For The Environment"
Foundation (CFE). CFE, an international non-governmental organisation conceived
to address the ecological problems caused by military activities and the
environmental perspectives ofeconomic conversion, concentrated on the problem of
sea-dumped CW and saw its mission in drawing due attention to this previously
neglected problem.The conference project started when the Division ofScientific and
Environmental Affairs showed interest in the theme of our proposal for an
Advanced Research Workshop in 1992, well before the subject ofsea-dumped CW
was put on the Europe's official agenda in the framework ofthe Ad Hoc Working
Group established bythe BalticMarineEnvironment Protection Commission.
vii
viii
The conference's concept envisaged consideration ofthe various aspects of the
problem: chemical, biological, technological. The conferencedemonstrated the
availability, in different countries, of substantial relevant knowledge, experience,
technologies and other resources that can be applied to the particular
ecological problem of sea-dumped CW. It also showed the lack of awareness of
each other's achievements and capabilities, and confirmedthe need for improved
information exchange and co-ordination. The conference, which drew together
experts from the centres ofacademic and applied research from Europe and the
United States, approved a concrete set ofrecommendations basedonthe current
level ofscientificknowledgeontheproblem.
An important feature of the conference's concept was the involvement of
representatives from defence-related industries and research centres: the economic
conversion ofthe defencesector in the Eastand West offers new opportunities to
apply this sector's vast experience and resources in areas of environmental
concem. The ecological problem of sea-dumped CW in particular not only has direct
relevance to the military industry, but requires much specific experience (i.e. in
weapons destruction orunderwater technologies)whichmaybe obtainedonlyfrom
thedefenceindustryandscienceofthecountriesconcemed.
The Conferenceonsea-dumpedchemical munitionswas madepossible dueto
agrant fromNATO. It can be seen as another sign of modem times, when defence
organisations, withinthe framework of new partnerships, contribute to solving the
common ecologicalthreatsEurope isfacing today, andhelpre-paytheenvironmental
debt caused by the military. The conference can be seen as a positive effort toward
putting theenvironment and defenceindustriesin concert.
As mentioned above, the issue of sea-dumped CW is a particularly multi-faceted
problem. Besides it essential chemical and biological components, it incorporates
important historical and legal implications. It also represents a complicated
technological challenge, and requires economicassessment as weil. An exhaustive
analysis of all these aspects of the issue is beyond the framework of a single
conference, and we hope they will be properly addressed in the programmes to
come. However, one of the achievements of the unprecedented conference in
Kaliningradwasthat itwasabletoraise virtuallyallthesequestionsinits agenda and
lay a foundation for furthercomprehensiveappliedresearch.
While some of the papers presented at the conference were of an
interdisciplinary nature, touching on, inter alia, historicalor legal questions,
most presentations had either a chemical or a technological focus, and the book
chapters were organised accordingly. However, the attribution of the chapters to
either"chemical" or"technological" divisionsisnotstrict. It shouldalsobenoted that,
given the eloseinterrelation betweentheproblems of chemicalweapons disposed in
seasandofthose stored onland, some of the papersprovide substantialcoverageof
theproblems associatedwiththe storage,destruction,andenvironmentaleffects ofon
landCWasweil.
AlexanderKaffka
WorkshopDirector
Acknowledgements
Theproduction ofthisvolumewasacoIlaborativeprocess,andtherearemanytowhom
the editor is appreciative. Tbe book would not exist were it not for NATO's
sponsorship and invaluable co-operation, which included criticaIly important
consultations with Prof. H. Schubert, then director of theFraunhofer Institute of
ChemicalTechnology (Germany),asweIlasotherassistanceon numerous occasions.I
am thankful to the respected contributors for their high-quality and informative
articles. Tbeir responsiveness to the editor's requests and the ability to produce
updated versions of their pieces inthe required format within a tight production
schedule is indeedadmirable. Iwouldalso liketothankBostonUniversity's Division
of International Programs (Moscow) and Ross Colgate for assistance in editing the
translatedtexts.
ix
ConferenceOn Sea-DumpedChemicalMunitions
ParticipantsList
Internationalparticipants:
Dr.E.Andrulewicz(Poland) -InstituteofMeteorologyand WaterResources,
Gdyna;
Dr. MarkFrondorf(USA)- ScienceApplicationsInternational Corporation,
McLean,VA;
Mr.HowardGraeffe(USA) -NationalInstituteforEnvironmentalRenewal
(NIER),Mayfield(PA);
Dr. PerOlofGranbom(Sweden)-FOA NBC DefenseResearchEstablishment,
Umea;
Dr. H. Haeber(Germany)-HeinrichHirdes GMBH, Berlin;
Dr. Joerg Hedtmann(GreatBritain)- SubSeaOffshoreLtd, Aberdeen;
Dr. Jim Henry(USA)-UniversityofTennessee, Chattanooga;
Mr.Iain Jarvies(GreatBritain)- SubSeaOffshoreLtd, Aberdeen;
Mr.RandyKritkausky(USA) -Director, "ECOLOGIA",La Plume,PA;
Dr. AnthonyP.Malinauskas (USA)-MartinMariettaEnergySystems, Oak
Ridge, 'IN;
Mr.StefanRobinson (Switzerland)- ChemicalWeaponPrograrn,Execitive
Committee,The Green Cross International;
Ms.NancySchulte(Belgium-NATO)-ProgramDirector, Scientificand
EnvironmentalAffairs Division,NATO HQ;
Dr. Thomas Stock(Sweden)- SIPRI (StockholmInternationalPeaceResearch
Institute), Chemicaland BiologicalWeapons Program, Solna, Sweden;
Mr. Lynn Taylor(USA)- PARGovemmentSystems,Arlington, VA;
Dr.F.Volk(Germany)-FraunhoferInstitutefor ChemicalTechnology,Pfinztal
Berghausen;
Dr.G.F.White(UnitedKingdom) -DepartmentofBiochemistry,Universityof
Wales College ofCardiff, Cardiff;
Prof.Zygfryd Witkiewicz (Poland) -Institute ofChemistry, MilitaryUniversity
ofTechnology;
Russianparticipants:
Prof.Kirill Babievsky(Russia)-NesmeyanovInstitute oforganiecompounds,
RussianAcademyofSciences,Moscow;
Prof. SergeyBaranovsky(Russia)-Vice-President;The GreenCrossRussia;
Dr.TengizBorisov(Russia)-MinistryofDefense;
Igor Dobrov(Russia)-KarpovInstitute ofPhysicaland ChemicalResearch,
Obninskbranch
Igor Epifanov(Russia)-Corporation "Mashinistroenie";
Prof.Lev Fyodorov(Russia)- Chairman,Unionfor ChemicalSecurity,
VernadskyInstituteofGeochemistryand AnaliticalChemistry;
xi