All military explosives (bombs, shells, etc) have a service life for which they are considered safe and suitable for service, known in the UK as S3: (S cubed). After that service life the explosive filling may decay and become unstable. As such, they need to be safely disposed of.
At one time it was common practice for the British Royal Navy to dump out of date explosives in the Atlantic Ocean. On the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, there is a large deep trench; where dumping occurred. The bottom of this trench is so deep that hardly anything is able to live down there. Furthermore, when the explosives finally reached the floor of this trench, they would quickly sink into the thick layers of soft silt and be buried.
Environmentalists fought to have this practice of dumping at sea stopped as it pollutes the oceans. Over time it was reasoned that dangerous chemicals will be released and could be carried anywhere by the currents. A law was passed in the UK and now the Royal Navy is not allowed to dump at sea, except for operational purposes (for example: a damaged torpedo on board that could be a danger to the ship or crew).
The only catch is that these explosives still need to be disposed of. So just how does the UK disposed of them?
Unfortunately the most efficient way left is to burn them off. This means that instead of dumping deep in the ocean where next to nothing lives, they are burned of into the air we breath and where it can contribute to damaging the ozone layer and global warming.
In principle, I agree with protecting the Oceans and dumping there is not a good thing; but I think that the more immediate threat is our own air that we breath and global warming. Before passing such laws (however well intentioned), we should look at what alternatives are available to us.
2 responses so far ↓
Tony // May 5, 2008 at 9:02 am |
Hi Charlie,
the oceans should be protected, yes. Even in the deep Atlantic trenches, there is actually a great deal of life, and more is being discovered daily. But this law is a definite own-goal by the environmentalists!
The Atlantic sea-floor is one of the most stable parts of the planet, changing only on geological timescales as the sea-floor slowly spreads. Things can lie undisturbed there for millions of years. If we could make containers that can outlast the explosives then they could safely be dumped there.
Making such a container isn’t easy, but is surely not beyond the reach of modern science. It would be far better to address the problem properly than to shoot ourselves in the foot with an unstudied law which obliges us to pollute our world.
Tony.
charliedw // May 5, 2008 at 9:37 pm |
Hi Tony
Thank you for your comments, point well made.
I think the main barrier to making such a container is not the reach of modern science but the reach of the Treasury. Even other government departments regard them as the enemy.
Charlie