Ecology & Safety, Volume 12, 2018

Abstract: Conducted in 2005 scientific and research work in the Baltic Sea on dumped chemical weapons were aimed mainly at: confirmation of regions where post-war chemical weapons were dumped, verification of unofficial dumpsites, inventoried quantity of dumped chemical ammunition and toxic warfare agents, development of research technologies for tracking and monitoring the effects of the presence of poisons in the sea and the identification and assessment of risks to sea users and to the living organisms. The results of the above tests clearly indicate that released toxic agents are not neutral to the marine environment and living organisms. During the study, it was undisputed that their presence has a negative effect on marine organisms. Examples include, for example, genetic changes in organisms, especially in fish foraging close to chemical weapons repositories or paralysis (eg burns) of animals that have direct contact with poisons released into the bottom sediments. This causes that more and more often, as the only rescue for the environment, activities aimed at removing chemical weapons lying on the bottom are indicated. The article presents technical aspects related to the removing and neutralization of chemical weapons submerged in the Baltic Sea as well as the legal aspects of such actions, especially in the context of the International Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.