This is an archive. The forum is not taking new registrations or allowing new discussion, despite what the buttons might suggest.
WMDs in Our Backyards :The toxic legacy of lewisite
WMDs in Our Backyards
The toxic legacy of lewisiteby Pandy R. Sinish and Joel A. Vilensky
Fifteen years ago, Spring Valley was a peaceful community in Washington, DC with large brick colonial homes and beautifully landscaped lawns, surrounded by woods. Since then large excavations, mounds of dirt, construction equipment, and workers wearing moon-suits have disturbed the tranquil surroundings. Why?
During World War I (WWI), American University, adjacent to the site that would become Spring Valley, was the headquarters for all of the research and testing that was performed by the Chemical Warfare Service. Work was done not only on campus, but also throughout the surrounding area, covering over 500 acres and constituting the American University Experimental Station. Here scientists conducted extensive outdoor tests on poison gases. Some of these tests exposed animals to chemical agents. Others included forming poison gas clouds and testing their duration in the atmosphere. Thousands of these tests were performed, and after the war, the testing areas were bulldozed over with dirt, burying exploded and unexploded chemical warfare munitions. Bottles, barrels, and laboratory equipment were similarly buried in large pits. The remaining chemical agents were probably poured into the ground. One of the most toxic agents tested here was lewisite, an arsenic-based compound thought to be carcinogenic and mutagenic, and that has dangerous residues that can remain in the soil indefinitely. Lewisite was not used during WWI, but it became a commonly produced chemical warfare agent during the early and middle parts of the 20th century. North Korea may still produce it.
For a few years after WWI ended, there were anecdotal reports of new homeowners in the area surrounding American University finding their backyards pitted with shell holes, but eventually even the residents of the area forgot their neighborhoods history. Thus it was a surprise when, during the construction of a new home in 1990, some of the workers experienced skin burning and eye pain severe enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room. One suffered from black spots on his skin, which was considered consistent with exposure to a blister-causing agent such as lewisite. The workers unearthed antique laboratory equipment, broken jars and a 55-gallon drum. An environmental firm hired to investigate the situation attributed the workers symptoms to the presence of a herbicide in the soil.
Find this article at Earth Island Institute, http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/new_articles.cfm?articleID=916&journalID=81
The toxic legacy of lewisiteby Pandy R. Sinish and Joel A. Vilensky
Fifteen years ago, Spring Valley was a peaceful community in Washington, DC with large brick colonial homes and beautifully landscaped lawns, surrounded by woods. Since then large excavations, mounds of dirt, construction equipment, and workers wearing moon-suits have disturbed the tranquil surroundings. Why?
During World War I (WWI), American University, adjacent to the site that would become Spring Valley, was the headquarters for all of the research and testing that was performed by the Chemical Warfare Service. Work was done not only on campus, but also throughout the surrounding area, covering over 500 acres and constituting the American University Experimental Station. Here scientists conducted extensive outdoor tests on poison gases. Some of these tests exposed animals to chemical agents. Others included forming poison gas clouds and testing their duration in the atmosphere. Thousands of these tests were performed, and after the war, the testing areas were bulldozed over with dirt, burying exploded and unexploded chemical warfare munitions. Bottles, barrels, and laboratory equipment were similarly buried in large pits. The remaining chemical agents were probably poured into the ground. One of the most toxic agents tested here was lewisite, an arsenic-based compound thought to be carcinogenic and mutagenic, and that has dangerous residues that can remain in the soil indefinitely. Lewisite was not used during WWI, but it became a commonly produced chemical warfare agent during the early and middle parts of the 20th century. North Korea may still produce it.
For a few years after WWI ended, there were anecdotal reports of new homeowners in the area surrounding American University finding their backyards pitted with shell holes, but eventually even the residents of the area forgot their neighborhoods history. Thus it was a surprise when, during the construction of a new home in 1990, some of the workers experienced skin burning and eye pain severe enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room. One suffered from black spots on his skin, which was considered consistent with exposure to a blister-causing agent such as lewisite. The workers unearthed antique laboratory equipment, broken jars and a 55-gallon drum. An environmental firm hired to investigate the situation attributed the workers symptoms to the presence of a herbicide in the soil.
Find this article at Earth Island Institute, http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/new_articles.cfm?articleID=916&journalID=81
Howdy, Stranger!