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NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
April 22,
2008: OPCW (Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) has admitted that its original (1997) deadlines
for destroying the worlds chemical weapons stocks were too optimistic, and has
extended that 2007 deadline, by five years (to 2012.) The OPCW treaty has 183
nations signed on. But several (Israel, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and seven
others) have not. Despite this, since 1993, about a third of the worlds
chemical weapons have been destroyed. This includes half of the U.S. stocks,
and a quarter of the largest stockpile in the world (Russia).
The 1997
Chemical Weapons Convention treaty, which OPCW monitors, has resulted in 3,000
inspections, in 80 countries, over the last ten years. The main obstacle to
destruction of chemical weapons has been technical. It's not easy safely
destroying this stuff. The U.S. has provided Russia with cash and technology to
help them get on with destroying their stocks. For Russia, this is somewhat
urgent, as the Soviet Union was reluctant to throw away old chemical weapons.
As a result, much of the Russian stuff has deteriorated with time, becoming
unstable and more difficult to handle. On the plus side, dealing with the
Russian stockpiles has advanced the technology for destroying decrepit chemical
weapons, and produced lots of Russians with technical skills, and a willingness
to travel and apply these skills, for the right price.
After
World War II, even larger quantities of chemical weapons were disposed of by
simply dumping them into the ocean. This was only a problem in the shallow
Baltic, where 35,000 tons of German chemical weapons were dumped. These are
coming up in fishing nets, and the shells and barrels are corroding and
releasing the poisons. This is harmful to the fish, and any fishermen who haul
it up. A dozen or so fishermen are injured by these ancient chemical weapons
each year. While some 50,000 tons of chemical munitions were dumped in the
Baltic, only about 10,000 tons are actual chemicals. Most of this is stuff like
Mustard and Phosgene, which are not as deadly as nerve gas (which degrades much
more quickly.) The World War I and II era ocean disposal programs involved more
than twice as much chemical weapons than are being disposed now. Nerve gas,
which degrades quickly in the ocean, takes a lot more time and expense to
dispose of on the land (usually via incineration.)