400,000+ WMDs found!!

[FlaSoxxJim]

http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews/2007/0...ping_at_sea.php

 

It's been long-known that the US military dumped discarded munitions into our coastal waters for decades, but it still really angers me on two fronts. As a marine conservationist, certainly I find it deplorable. But on top of that, I look at our fevered hunt for the barest evidence that Iraq had WMDs or sought WMDs or other rogue nations are trafficking in WMDs or are careless with nuclear technology in our eyes, and I realize what hypocrites our leaders are.

 

We try to police the world and tell them how they can and can't handle their munitions, and who should and should not posses certain weapons and technology, and this is our plan for responsibly dealing with these deadly dangerous and ecologically nightmarish materials??

 

The Army now admits that it secretly dumped 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents into the sea, along with 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines and rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste - either tossed overboard or packed into the holds of scuttled vessels."

 

[BearSox]

Remind me not to go swimming in that area...

[Balta1701]

Remind me not to go swimming in that area...

Earth?

[NorthSideSox72]

Let's all hope these "deposits" are in really deep water - like deep enough that no one other than those with military-grade diving equipment can reach. Because if its shallow enough t be reached with recreational equipment, then it can be obtained by terrorists.

 

Also, given what the article says and shows about those dolphins, it seems that these chemicals aren't well sealed either. Great. Because the ocean isn't where a lot of the world gets its food or anything.

[kapkomet]

This is just really sad. I know they (supposedly) don't do this now, but the damage was done in the 40's and 50's... and it's just deplorable to not think forward as to what this can do to our environment.

[BigSqwert]

This is just really sad. I know they (supposedly) don't do this now, but the damage was done in the 40's and 50's... and it's just deplorable to not think forward as to what this can do to our environment.

When did you start caring about the environment?

[vandy125]

Any idea how long ago this was done? Is it still being done? If so, it needs to be stopped immediately.

 

There were a lot of things done in the past that were not good (especially in regards to the environment). We need to look forward to prevention and cleanup (if that is possible) instead of pointing fingers at people. When we point fingers at the Army, Navy, or any large group that has been around for a long time in general, we may be doing it at people who were still in grade-school when this happened.

 

I would be very upset if it was continuing.

[SoxFan1]

Great. The day I book reservations to Myrtle Beach, I find out there toxic s*** in the water. Solid.

Edited June 12, 2007 by SoxFan1

[RibbieRubarb]

Great. The day I book reservations to Myrtle Beach, I find out there toxic s*** in the water. Solid.

 

Just don't hit your golfball in there and you'll be fine.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Let's all hope these "deposits" are in really deep water - like deep enough that no one other than those with military-grade diving equipment can reach.

 

For the most part, yeah, they are pretty deep - from 600 feet to several thousand feet deep. From a terrorist acquisition standpoint, that's good. But it doesn't matter a whole lot from an environmental standpoint because all of the old steel drums have been rusting away and are now releasing their contents to the environment (as per the burned dolphins you noted).

 

Any idea how long ago this was done? Is it still being done? If so, it needs to be stopped immediately.

 

There were a lot of things done in the past that were not good (especially in regards to the environment). We need to look forward to prevention and cleanup (if that is possible) instead of pointing fingers at people. When we point fingers at the Army, Navy, or any large group that has been around for a long time in general, we may be doing it at people who were still in grade-school when this happened.

 

I would be very upset if it was continuing.

 

This was done primarily from the end ow WWI all the way through the 1960s. And the military is disposing of munitions more responsibly (or trying to - see the Yucca Mountain Repository saga) and I agree the wastes sitting on the seafloor are the ghosts of past military blunderers. One of the most depressing things is that the military doesn't even know exactly where a lot of the stuff was dumped or how much, so now that they are trying to use some modern technology to better contain the stuff leaking out of rusting shells and cans, they can't even find half of it.

 

For its part, the military has been making efforts to clean up where they can, as noted in this 2005 Pentagon statement on the issue:

 

For a half century, the United States maintained a stockpile of chemical agents and munitions for possible use in wartime. The recent Daily Press series "Special report: The deadliness below" did not emphasize that today the U.S. Army is eliminating this arsenal in safe and environmentally responsible ways.

 

Up until the late 1960s, chemical agents and munitions routinely were disposed of using methods dating back to World War I - such as open-pit burning, land burial or ocean dumping. Most sea-disposal operations took place in very deep water - typically over 600 feet deep and many times thousands of feet deep. The vast majority of these deep-ocean sites are inaccessible. Modern technologies are helping now to neutralize and dispose of these munitions much more safely as well.

 

The protection of human health and the environment is critical, and the Army will continue to work in partnership with other government agencies to identify and monitor old disposal sites, address each discovery in a deliberative manner and implement appropriate response actions.

 

Paul Boyce

U.S. Army Public Affairs, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Edited June 12, 2007 by FlaSoxxJim

[dasox24]

Great. The day I book reservations to Myrtle Beach, I find out there toxic s*** in the water. Solid.

You're not alone. Looks like there's some good ole mustard gas pretty close to Gulf Shores, which is where I'm heading in August.