Environmental Consequences of War and Aftermath

331 Pages·2009·8.93 MB·English

by  John Hart (auth.)

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
Editors-in-chief: O. Hutzinger · D. Barceló · A. Kostianoy
Volume 3 Anthropogenic Compounds
Part U
Advisory Board:
D. Barceló · P. Fabian · H. Fiedler · H. Frank
J. P. Giesy · R. A. Hites · M. A. K. Khalil · D. Mackay
A. H. Neilson · J. Paasivirta · H. Parlar · S. H. Safe
P. J. Wangersky
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
Recently Published and Forthcoming Volumes
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Emerging Contaminants from Industrial
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Vol. 5/S/2, 2008 Vol. 4/H, 2005
Emerging Contaminants from Industrial Environmental Effects
and Municipal Waste of Marine Finfish Aquaculture
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Environmental Consequences
of War and Aftermath
Volume Editors: Tarek A. Kassim · Damià Barceló
With contributions by
D. Al-Ajmi · A. Al-Enezi · A. Asem · N. R. Bhat
D. Djordjevic · J. Hart · V. Kalafatic · B. S. Levy
V. Martinovic-Vitanovic · A. Mihajlidi-Zelic
N. R. Miljevi · R. Misak · S. A. S. Omar · P. Polic
A. Popovic · D. Relic · Saif ud din · V. W. Sidel
J. E. Slutzman · I. Tošić · M. Unkašević
Z. Vukmirović · Z. S. Žunić
Environmental chemistry is a rather young and interdisciplinary field of science. Its aim is a complete
description of the environment and of transformations occurring on a local or global scale. Environmental
chemistry also gives an account of the impact of man’s activities on the natural environment by
describing observed changes.
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry provides the compilation of today’s knowledge. Contributions
are written by leading experts with practical experience in their fields. The Handbook will grow with the
increase in our scientific understanding and should provide a valuable source not only for scientists, but
also for environmental managers and decision-makers.
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry is published in a series of five volumes:
Volume 1: The Natural Environment and the Biogeochemical Cycles
Volume 2: Reactions and Processes
Volume 3: Anthropogenic Compounds
Volume 4: Air Pollution
Volume 5: Water Pollution
The series Volume 1 The Natural Environment and the Biogeochemical Cycles describes the natural
environment and gives an account of the global cycles for elements and classes of natural compounds.
The series Volume 2 Reactions and Processes is an account of physical transport, and chemical and
biological transformations of chemicals in the environment.
The series Volume 3 Anthropogenic Compounds describes synthetic compounds, and compound classes
as well as elements and naturally occurring chemical entities which are mobilized by man’s activities.
The series Volume 4 Air Pollution and Volume 5 Water Pollution deal with the description of civiliza-
tion’s effects on the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
Within the individual series articles do not appear in a predetermined sequence. Instead, we invite
contributors as our knowledge matures enough to warrant a handbook article.
Suggestions for new topics from the scientific community to members of the Advisory Board or to the
Publisher are very welcome.
ISBN 978-3-540-87961-9 e-ISBN 978-3-540-87963-3
DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-87963-3
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Subseries 3 ISSN 1433-6847
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942127
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Editors-in-Chief
Prof. em. Dr. Otto Hutzinger Prof. Andrey Kostianoy
Universität Bayreuth P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology
c/o Bad Ischl Office Russian Academy of Sciences
Grenzweg 22 36, Nakhimovsky Pr.
5351 Aigen-Vogelhub, Austria 117997 Moscow, Russia
[email protected] [email protected]
Prof. Dr. Damià Barceló
Dept. of Environmental Chemistry
IIQAB – CSIC
Jordi Girona, 18–26
08034 Barcelona, Spain
[email protected]
Volume Editors
Tarek A. Kassim Prof. Dr. Damià Barceló
Oregon State University Department of Environmental Chemistry
Department of Civil, Construction and IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18–26,
Environmental Engineering 08034 Barcelona, Spain, and Catalan
202 Apperson Hall Institute for Water Research (ICRA),
Corvallis OR 97331 Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat
USA de Girona, Edifici Jaume Casademont, 15
[email protected] E-17003 Girona, Spain
[email protected]
Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. D. Barceló Prof. Dr. H. Frank
Dept. of Environmental Chemistry Lehrstuhl für Umwelttechnik
IIQAB – CSIC und Ökotoxikologie
Jordi Girona, 18–26 Universität Bayreuth
08034 Barcelona, Spain Postfach 10 12 51
[email protected] 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
Prof. Dr. P. Fabian Prof. Dr. J.P. Giesy
Lehrstuhl für Bioklimatologie Department of Zoology
und Immissionsforschung Michigan State University
der Universität München East Lansing, MI 48824-1115, USA
Hohenbachernstraße 22 [email protected]
85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
Prof. Dr. R.A. Hites
Dr. H. Fiedler
Indiana University
Scientific Affairs Office School of Public
UNEP Chemicals and Environmental Affairs
11–13, chemin des Anémones Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
1219 Châteleine (GE), Switzerland [email protected]
[email protected]
vi Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. M.A.K. Khalil Prof. Dr. Dr. H. Parlar
Department of Physics Institut für Lebensmitteltechnologie
Portland State University und Analytische Chemie
Science Building II, Room 410 Technische Universität München
P.O. Box 751 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
Prof. Dr. S.H. Safe
[email protected]
Department of Veterinary
Prof. Dr. D. Mackay
Physiology and Pharmacology
Department of Chemical Engineering College of Veterinary Medicine
and Applied Chemistry Texas A &M University
University of Toronto College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA
Toronto, ON, M5S 1A4, Canada [email protected]
Prof. Dr. A.H. Neilson Prof. P.J. Wangersky
Swedish Environmental Research Institute University of Victoria
P.O. Box 21060 Centre for Earth and Ocean Research
10031 Stockholm, Sweden P.O. Box 1700
[email protected] Victoria, BC, V8W 3P6, Canada
wangers@telus. net
Prof. Dr. J. Paasivirta
Department of Chemistry
University of Jyväskylä
Survontie 9
P.O. Box 35
40351 Jyväskylä, Finland
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vii
Preface
This preface starts with wording similar to that of the recent book Contaminated
Sediments in this series. Indeed, I should repeat that again for the first time in my
life I am not so glad to introduce this book entitled Environmental Consequences
of War and Aftermath as part of The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
series. The main reason for this feeling is that the whole idea and proposal for this
book originated from the late Assistant Prof. Tarek A. Kassim of Oregon State
University, but unfortunately he is not with us to enjoy the final product of his
ideas. Everything started as part of my role of co-editor of this series when I got
the proposal from Tarek and I was asked to finalize the book. What I did basically
was to wait for and then revise the manuscripts, and I pushed this project to com-
pletion. To be honest, the whole merit of this book is due to Tarek. I hope that his
colleagues and friends can appreciate one of his last projects.
The first question is: Why do we need a book on environmental consequences
of war today? Perhaps an even better question would be: Why did we still have
wars in the twentieth century and why do we still have them in the twenty-first
century? Apparently, we have not learnt the lessons of the past. We all remember
the Gulf War in Kuwait and the war in the Balkans as two of the most recent ones.
Each time, more and more sophisticated weapons are used and many chemicals are
sprayed around the war zones, so civilian populations and military personnel as
well are constantly being exposed to cocktails of chemical contaminants usually at
high concentrations.
As pointed out in the introduction to one of the chapters, it is recognized that
war leads to disastrous effects on people and the physical, biological, economic,
and social environment. Environmental effects include (1) direct contamination of
air, land, and water; (2) disruption of the infrastructure of society, which, in turn,
leads to further environmental damage; (3) use of nonrenewable sources of energy;
and (4) diversion of resources that might otherwise be used to promote health and
protect the environment. Much information has been acquired on the environmental
and human health effects of chemical warfare (CW) agents since they were first
employed on a large scale as a method of warfare during World War I. Numerous
uncertainties nevertheless remain, partly because CW agents were not developed
or tested with the possible long-term adverse environmental or human health con-
sequences as a deciding factor in determining whether an agent would be produced
ix
x Preface
and used in munitions. Rather the requirements for the agent’s military effects took
precedence. In addition, the interaction among the political, technical, and legal
challenges connected with the known or possible risks posed by CW agents is
complex and sometimes not well understood. This is usually because technical
considerations, when acted on, are almost invariably informed by political ones,
such as various legal requirements.
The book contains nine chapters covering different aspects of the research on
environmental consequences of war and its aftermath and covers in one additional
chapter more general issues such as prevention of war and its environmental con-
sequences, the legal, political, and technical background to selected environmental
and human health effects of CW agents, and the atmospheric transport and deposi-
tion of persistent organic pollutants under warfare conditions to more specific ones
related to two main tragic examples: the war in the Balkans and the Gulf War.
Aspects of the war in the Balkans cover contamination by heavy metals in Serbian
national parks, the impact of NATO strikes on the Danube river basin, and the
problems associated with transuranium elements. The Gulf War in Kuwait covers
other problems related to the impact of oil contamination, the impact on ground-
water resources, and the soil damage of ground fortifications among other environ-
mental and health problems.
Finally, this book is challenging and its publication is timely. We should accept
that most scientists who are involved in the field of environmental chemistry have
limited experience with CW issues, while many of those who work with CW
disarmament and nonproliferation issues tend not to have scientific backgrounds.
This book provides the basic background to bridge both communities and to under-
stand a bit more about the problem of environmental consequences of war and its
aftermath. To minimize the environmental consequences of war and to help prevent
war, public-health-based approaches should be developed. This books goes in this
direction by providing documentation of the adverse impacts of war on the environ-
ment and a bit more education and awareness-raising for the public.
Finally, I would like to thank all the contributing authors for their time and
efforts in preparing this comprehensive compilation of research papers that will
make this book on environmental consequences of war and its aftermath unique in
this field.
18 September 2008 D. Barceló
Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18–26,
08034 Barcelona, Spain, and Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc
Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, Edifici Jaume Casademont, 15
E-17003 Girona, Spain
Contents
Background to Selected Environmental and Human Health
Effects of Chemical Warfare Agents ...................................................... 1
John Hart
Prevention of War and Its Environmental Consequences .................... 21
Victor W. Sidel, Barry S. Levy, and Jonathan E. Slutzman
Remote Sensing: Fundamentals, Types and Monitoring
Applications of Environmental Consequences of War ......................... 41
Dhari Al Ajmi and Saif ud din
War-Induced Soil Degradation, Depletion, and Destruction
(The Case of Ground Fortifications in the Terrestrial
Environment of Kuwait) .......................................................................... 125
R. Misak, D. Al-Ajmi, and A. Al-Enezi
Critical Assessment of the Environmental Consequences
of the Invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War,
and the Aftermath .................................................................................... 141
Samira A. S. Omar, N. R. Bhat, and Adel Asem
Atmospheric Transport and Deposition of Persistent
Organic Pollutants Under Warfare Conditions ..................................... 171
Zorka Vukmirovic´, Miroslava Unkaševic´,
and Ivana Tošic´
Environmental and Health Impact Assessment
of Ammunition Containing Transuranic Elements ............................... 209
Zora S. Žunic´ and Nada R. Miljevic´
xi