Remember those 65,000 tonnes of Nazi chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic sea? About that.. - Polidicks

[img]http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2014/04/nazi-monsters.jpg.662x0_q100_crop-scale.jpg[/img] [quote=treehugger] After the hateful, murderous regime of the Nazis was defeated about 70 years ago thanks to the sacrifices of millions of people, the allied victors did something rather strange. Based on decisions made at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 where Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met, Britain and the Soviet Union dumped about 65,000 tonnes of Nazi chemical weapons into the rather shallow waters of the Baltic Sea (average depth, 55 meters/180 feet). [img]http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2014/04/baltic-sea-map.jpg.650x0_q85_crop-smart.jpg[/img] The problem is that artillery shells and metal drums corrode over time... Nobody is quite sure what state the chemical weapons are in, but scientists have called it a "ticking time-bomb" and recent research has raised the alarm: [B]"Recent research by Poland’s Military University of Technology has found traces of mustard gas on the sea bed just a few hundred metres off the Polish coast, in the Gulf of Gdansk. This indicates corrosion of the metal, and that poisonous chemicals are now leaking into the water and could be absorbed by fish, entering the food chain. Scientists are concerned, but not just because containers are leaking. There should be no chemical weapons in the Gulf of Gdansk as this was not a dumping zone. Stanislaw Popiel, from the team of the military university, which carried out the research, said that it was hard to say where the contamination came from." [/B] One thing making this situation more complicated is that the Soviets apparently didn't give much of a hoot back then, and didn't always dump the chemical weapons where they were supposed to be. A tendency to throw them overboard as soon as they were out of sight of the coast was reported... This means there could be leaky chemical weapons in unknown spot, possible near the coast or fishing zones. Jacek Beldowski, from the Polish Institute of Oceanography, has also found an "increase in fish with illnesses and genetic defects in the areas of the known dumping zones; evidence that some of the containers are indeed leaking." Some Baltic states have been looking into removing some of the chemical weapons from the bottom of the sea, but even that would be hard - just finding them - and dangerous, as rusty drums could break apart when moved.[/quote] [url="http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/65000-tonnes-nazi-chemical-weapons-were-dumped-baltic-sea-70-years-ago.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter"] more in source [/url] [url="http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/11/baltic-sea"] Economist source [/url] Nazis still screwing with the world even today.

I love the "let the future deal with this shit" mindset they must have had when dumping all 65000 fucking tonnes of chemical weapons into the damn water.

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44614170]I love the "let the future deal with this shit" mindset they must have had when dumping all 65000 fucking tonnes of chemical weapons into the damn water.[/QUOTE] Humans love to do things the quickest and cheapest way possible, just letting their grandchildren deal with the repercussions later.

It's pretty scary how pieces of WWII are still lying around. Remember that digger driver who [URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/video-digger-driver-killed-as-world-war-ii-bomb-explodes-in-germany-9038636.html"]got killed by a WWII bomb?[/URL]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44614170]I love the "let the future deal with this shit" mindset they must have had when dumping all 65000 fucking tonnes of chemical weapons into the damn water.[/QUOTE] "We've fucking defeated the Nazis, why are you now suddenly so picky about where some stupid barrels go? Fuck, are you a bunch of women or something?" "Those barrels contain neurotoxins..." "There are women on this ship! Ah well. [I]Keep 'em rolling, boys![/I]" I think, if you looked hard enough, pretty much that same scenario has played out over and over and over across humanity. Got something inconvenient and need it out of the way? Surely there's a rug it can slip under that nobody'll notice, or you can just leave it out in the woods and nature'll take care of it. Meanwhile, humans have become increasingly sophisticated in working out ways purifying lethal chemicals in ever larger amounts, but we haven't really evolved a nuanced sense of "finding a proper place for everything" to compensate.

The baltic sea has always been the dumping ground for stuff other countries dont want. Nuclear waste, bombs, mines etc... It's a miracle that shitty sea is still a sea.

I thought hitler and his stooges opposed the usage of chemical weapons

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;44614248]I thought hitler and his stooges opposed the usage of chemical weapons[/QUOTE]gas chambers?

[QUOTE=FurrehFaux;44614190]Humans love to do things the quickest and cheapest way possible, just letting their grandchildren deal with the repercussions later.[/QUOTE] It is a severe error with the human psyche. One that needs to be fixed in future patches.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;44614248]I thought hitler and his stooges opposed the usage of chemical weapons[/QUOTE] He did, the catch was however that instead of using them against troops, he used them against jews in the holocaust.

[QUOTE]"Recent research by Poland’s Military University of Technology has found traces of mustard gas on the sea bed just a few hundred metres off the Polish coast, in the Gulf of Gdansk. This indicates corrosion of the metal, and that poisonous chemicals are now leaking into the water and could be absorbed by fish, entering the food chain.[/QUOTE] More than half a century later the poles still can't catch a break from the nazies.

[QUOTE=Kite_shugo;44614326]gas chambers?[/QUOTE]He's referring to in warfare, which Hitler did oppose; primarily due to his own experiences with it in WW1. They kept chemical weapon stockpiles in case the Allies ever used it first. What they settled on using in the gas chambers was hydrogen cyanide, which afaik has never been used for chemical weapons in the same way that e.g. mustard gas or phosgene have.

[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;44614391]He's referring to in warfare, which Hitler did oppose; primarily due to his own experiences with it in WW1. They kept chemical weapon stockpiles in case the Allies ever used it first. What they settled on using in the gas chambers was hydrogen cyanide, which afaik has never been used for chemical weapons in the same way that e.g. mustard gas or phosgene have.[/QUOTE] IIRC his characteristic barking voice was caused by lung/stomach damage that chlorine gas caused to him in the trenches of WW1.

[QUOTE=ironman17;44614349]It is a severe error with the human psyche. One that needs to be fixed in future patches.[/QUOTE] In the aftermath of a hugely destructive global conflict, the world turns to transhumanism to correct the fundamental flaws in the human psyche and prevent a repeat of the apocalypse Could we all be living in a dystopian near-future sci-fi novel?

Seems like a viable path. If it can be fixed, and it needs to be fixed, it should be fixed. It needs to be fixed, but currently it can't be since we don't know how to properly tinker with brains to such an extent.

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44614170]I love the "let the future deal with this shit" mindset they must have had when dumping all 65000 fucking tonnes of chemical weapons into the damn water.[/QUOTE] Yup, this was apparently a very common approach to any form of disposal up until the 50's-60's. A lake near me has had 3-4 thousand tons of ammunition dumped into it across about a hundred different sites. "If the problem is invisible it's as good as fixed".

We should have like shot them in to space or something

[QUOTE=Aphtonites;44614205]It's pretty scary how pieces of WWII are still lying around. Remember that digger driver who [URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/video-digger-driver-killed-as-world-war-ii-bomb-explodes-in-germany-9038636.html"]got killed by a WWII bomb?[/URL][/QUOTE] The QI Elves' podcast, [I]No Such Thing As a Fish[/I], mentioned something like that, only thankfully without fatalities. A guy one of the researchers knew had to be evacuated, along with his entire apartment building, because renovations to the building were being done and an unexploded WW2 bomb was discovered in the basement. And they joked about how, if it had gone off and someone had been killed, how unusual the police call would've been to the victim's family. "I'm sorry, but, ah, your son has been killed in an explosion." "What? Who did this?" "Well, uh, we believe it to be the work of the [I]Nazis[/I]..."

[QUOTE=Kite_shugo;44614152] Nazis still screwing with the world even today.[/QUOTE] dont blame the nazis for this one [quote] Based on decisions made at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 where Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met, Britain and the Soviet Union dumped about 65,000 tonnes of Nazi chemical weapons into the rather shallow waters of the Baltic Sea (average depth, 55 meters/180 feet). [/quote] that being said, it seems like I live in the danger zone if this decides to leak

[QUOTE=Kentz;44614555]dont blame the nazis for this one that being said, it seems like I live in the danger zone if this decides to leak[/QUOTE] Still was the Nazi's stockpile of chem weapons that we had to dispose of. I see what you mean though.

So are they going to pull them out or just dump tons of concrete on it like what usually happens with dangerous materials.

[QUOTE=Kite_shugo;44614635]Still was the Nazi's stockpile of chem weapons that we had to dispose of. I'd much rather it had been them over the Nazi's[/QUOTE] i dunno thats kinda like robbing a gasstation then blame the owners of the gasstation because the robbers decided to dispose the gasoline in a playground

[quote]mustard gas...absorbed by fish...[/quote] I don't see the big deal, unless you don't like mustard too well. :downs:

[QUOTE=Kentz;44614673]i dunno thats kinda like robbing a gasstation then blame the owners of the gasstation because the robbers decided to dispose the gasoline in a playground[/QUOTE] I saw what you meant; doesn't change the fact that we were left with the responsibility BECAUSE of what the Nazis did. And now we know it wasn't disposed of very well :v:

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44614170]I love the "let the future deal with this shit" mindset they must have had when dumping all 65000 fucking tonnes of chemical weapons into the damn water.[/QUOTE] And nothing has changed [quote]While this is worrying, some scientists argue that most of the containers will in all likelihood remain sealed for decades to come, and that the environmental conditions at the bottom of the Baltic Sea should contain any hazards. [/quote] Alternatively look at Fukushima.

What are the chemical ways of breaking down mustard gas/etc into more inert compounds?

[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;44614878]What are the chemical ways of breaking down mustard gas/etc into more inert compounds?[/QUOTE] sadly enough it would break down much faster and better in most other oceans than the Baltic sea since it has less salt.

[QUOTE=ironman17;44614349]It is a severe error with the human psyche. One that needs to be fixed in future patches.[/QUOTE] Eh, just let the next generation figure that one out

You've got to be fucking shitting me. The only reason I really like this country is because I can go to the beach.

Hitler also didn't use these chemical weapons because of the gas masks which are called the most successful part of WW2. Hitler knew England was prepared for a chemical attack so he just never used them.