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Science Discarded chemical weapons causing ocean problems
Science Discarded chemical weapons causing ocean problems | Discarded chemical weapons causing ocean problems |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Tuesday, 01 April 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 Brewer states, “The information that should be there isn’t getting to the right people. If you’re a scientist who goes to sea to measure things, you’d like to know what’s there. These [disposal sites] are big areas, some right off Monterey.” Featured Whitepaper
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Science DiscussionsIt is a very informative article on the problem of existing chemical materials on the ocean floor--and possibly worth your time to read. The authors basically state: “Despite the large quantities of chemical weapons disposed of in the ocean from 1946 to 1972, offshore dumping sites have not been mapped or assessed adequately.” Further: “Confusion surrounding this topic, lack of meaningful observation, inadequate record keeping and reporting, and active avoidance of the subject matter have all contributed to the neglect of this important environmental issue.” Brewer states that critical nature of these chemical sites. He says, “It’s just one of those things where society has had a blind spot. Problems that aren’t talked about never get better.” Also, he states, "It thus appears that current policy is an inverted form of “don’t ask, don’t tell”: scientists have not asked for information about chemical weapons disposal sites, and the responsible agencies have felt no pressure to provide it." The informative DailyPress.com article of this underwater problem is called “Special Report: The Deadliness Below," a collecton of interesting articles on the subject. Dr. Brewer thinks that it is time for governments such as the United States and Japan to communicate about these toxic sites. It seems that responsible countries should perform measurements, analyses, and studies to identify the extent of the problem, and then take responsible actions to solve the problem before it gets any worse. What do you think? [Author's note: Yes, thanks for the good catch on the conversions of tons and pounds/kilograms. I forgot a couple of zeros. It is now corrected.] |
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