INVESTIGATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT OF SHIPS LOADED WITH

3,41

MB

CHEMICAL AMMUNITION SCUTTLED IN SKAGERRAK

80

stron

3749

ID

FORSVARETS FORSKNINGSINSTITUTT

2003

rok

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 9

2 INVESTIGATION OF SELECTED SHIPWRECKS 11

2.1 Background 11

2.2 Sea current and temperature 13

2.3 Inspection by a remote operated vehicle 13

2.4 Observations during the investigation 19

2.4.1 The Deep Marine habitat 19

2.4.2 Fishing activity 19

2.4.3 Types of ammunition observed 19

2.4.4 Conditions of the wrecks and ammunition 20

2.5 Sediment and water sampling 21

3 BEHAVIOR OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS IN SKAGERRAK 22

3.1 Arsenic and arsenic compounds 23

3.2 Adamsite 24

3.3 Chloroacetophenone (CN) 25

3.4 Clark I and II 26

3.5 Sulphur mustard 27

3.6 Viscous sulphur mustard (Zählost) 28

3.7 Phosgene 29

3.8 Tabun 29

4 CHEMICAL ANALYSIS 31

4.1 Sample preparation 31

4.1.1 Preparation of sediment samples 31

4.1.2 Preparation of water samples 31

4.2 Analytical methods 31

4.3 Analytical results 32

4.3.1 Water samples 32

4.3.2 Compounds identified in the soil samples by mass spectrometry 32

4.3.3 Quantification of identified compounds by mass spectrometry 35

4.3.4 Elemental arsenic 36

4.4 Discussion 36

5 RISK ASSESSMENT OF CWA IN SKAGERRAK 37

5.1 Introduction 37

5.2 Risk for fishermen 37

5.3 Exposure to sulphur mustard 38

5.4 Bioaccumulation of arsenicals 39

5.5 Potential effects on local biota 40

5.6 A theoretical scenario of leaking ammunition 40

6 CONCLUSIONS 43

References 45

A APPENDIX 49

B APPENDIX 52

C APPENDIX 53

D APPENDIX 54

E APPENDIX 55

F RESULTS FROM ANALYSIS BY ICP 69

Distribution list 77