Editing Mustard gas (section)

====Disposal====
In the United States, storage and incineration of mustard gas and other chemical weapons were carried out by the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency.<ref>[http://www.cma.army.mil/home.aspx The U.S. Army's Chemical Materials Agency (CMA)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041015020742/http://www.cma.army.mil/home.aspx |date=October 15, 2004}}. cma.army.mil. Retrieved on November 11, 2011.</ref> Disposal projects at the two remaining American chemical weapons sites were carried out near [[Richmond, Kentucky]], and [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. The last of the declared mustard weapons stockpile of the United States was destroyed on June 22, 2023 in Pueblo with other remaining chemical weapons being destroyed later in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-07 |title=U.S. destroys last of its declared chemical weapons, closing a deadly chapter dating to World War I |url=https://apnews.com/article/chemical-weapons-war-kentucky-colorado-sarin-0737441e73aeb62f6a105c30ab067393 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

New detection techniques are being developed in order to detect the presence of mustard gas and its metabolites. The technology is portable and detects small quantities of the hazardous waste and its oxidized products, which are notorious for harming unsuspecting civilians. The [[immunochromatographic]] assay would eliminate the need for expensive, time-consuming lab tests and enable easy-to-read tests to protect civilians from sulfur-mustard dumping sites.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://docksci.com/competitive-immunochromatographic-assay-for-the-detection-of-thiodiglycol-sulfox_5a9bdc6fd64ab2d6e91e8ff2.html |title=Competitive immunochromatographic assay for the detection of thiodiglycol sulfoxide, a degradation product of sulfur mustard |journal=The Analyst|volume=139|issue=20|pages=5118–26|date=24 July 2014|doi=10.1039/C4AN00720D |pmid=25121638|last1=Sathe|first1=Manisha|last2=Srivastava|first2=Shruti|last3=Merwyn|first3=S.|last4=Agarwal|first4=G. S.|last5=Kaushik|first5=M. P.|bibcode=2014Ana...139.5118S }}</ref>

In 1946, 10,000 drums of mustard gas (2,800 tonnes) stored at the production facility of Stormont Chemicals in [[Cornwall, Ontario]], Canada, were loaded onto 187 boxcars for the {{convert|900|mi|km|}} journey to be buried at sea on board a {{Convert|400|foot|m|abbr=|adj=}} long barge {{Convert|40|mi|km|abbr=}} south of [[Sable Island]], southeast of [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], at a depth of {{convert|600|fathom|m|}}. The dump location is 42 degrees, 50 minutes north by 60 degrees, 12 minutes west.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hill 70 & Cornwall's Deadly Mustard Gas Plant|url=https://cornwallcommunitymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/hill-70-cornwalls-deadly-mustard-gas-plant/|website=Cornwall Community Museum|date=18 September 2016|publisher=Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Historical Society|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

A large British stockpile of old mustard agent that had been made and stored since World War I at [[M. S. Factory, Valley]] near [[Rhydymwyn]] in [[Flintshire]], Wales, was destroyed in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|title=Valley Factory, Rhydymwyn|date=24 July 2010|url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/r/rhydymwyn/defra_1.html}}</ref>

Most of the mustard gas found in Germany after [[World War II]] was dumped into the [[Baltic Sea]]. Between 1966 and 2002, fishermen have found about 700 chemical weapons in the region of [[Bornholm]], most of which contain mustard gas. One of the more frequently dumped weapons was "Sprühbüchse 37" (SprüBü37, Spray Can 37, 1937 being the year of its fielding with the German Army). These weapons contain mustard gas mixed with a [[thickener]], which gives it a tar-like viscosity. When the content of the SprüBü37 comes in contact with water, only the mustard gas in the outer layers of the lumps of viscous mustard [[hydrolysis|hydrolyzes]], leaving behind amber-colored residues that still contain most of the active mustard gas. On mechanically breaking these lumps (e.g., with the drag board of a fishing net or by the human hand) the enclosed mustard gas is still as active as it had been at the time the weapon was dumped. These lumps, when washed ashore, can be mistaken for amber, which can lead to severe health problems. [[shell (projectile)|Artillery shells]] containing mustard gas and other toxic ammunition from World War I (as well as conventional explosives) can still be found in France and Belgium. These were formerly disposed of by explosion undersea, but since the current environmental regulations prohibit this, the [[French government]] is building an automated factory to dispose of the accumulation of chemical shells.

In 1972, the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] banned the practice of disposing of chemical weapons into the ocean by the United States. 29,000 tons of nerve and mustard agents had already been dumped into the ocean off the United States by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. According to a report created in 1998 by William Brankowitz, a deputy project manager in the [[U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency]], the army created at least 26 chemical weapons dumping sites in the ocean offshore from at least 11 states on both the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] and the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] (in [[Operation CHASE]], [[Operation Geranium]], etc.). In addition, due to poor recordkeeping, about one-half of the sites have only their rough locations known.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bull|first=John|title=The Deadliness Below|url=http://articles.dailypress.com/2005-10-30/news/0510300001_1_chemical-weapons-army-chemical-materials-agency-mustard-gas|publisher=Daily Press Virginia|date=30 October 2005|access-date=2013-01-28|archive-date=2012-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723021132/http://articles.dailypress.com/2005-10-30/news/0510300001_1_chemical-weapons-army-chemical-materials-agency-mustard-gas|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In June 1997, India declared its stock of chemical weapons of {{convert|1044|tonne|ST}} of mustard gas.<ref name="dominicantoday.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2007/12/30/26543/India-to-destroy-chemical-weapons-stockpile-by-2009 |title=India to destroy chemical weapons stockpile by 2009 |publisher=Dominican Today |access-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907155755/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2007/12/30/26543/India-to-destroy-chemical-weapons-stockpile-by-2009 |archive-date=7 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Amy Smithson |author2=Frank Gaffney Jr. |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3987660.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106050759/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3987660.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=6 November 2012 |title=India declares its stock of chemical weapons |access-date=30 April 2013}}</ref> By the end of 2006, India had destroyed more than 75 percent of its chemical weapons/material stockpile and was granted extension for destroying the remaining stocks by April 2009 and was expected to achieve 100 percent destruction within that time frame.<ref name="dominicantoday.com"/> India informed the United Nations in May 2009 that it had destroyed its stockpile of chemical weapons in compliance with the international Chemical Weapons Convention. With this India has become the third country after South Korea and Albania to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news531700.html |title=Zee News – India destroys its chemical weapons stockpile |publisher=Zeenews.india.com |date=14 May 2009 |access-date=30 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="in.news.yahoo.com">{{cite web|url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090514/812/tnl-india-destroys-its-chemical-weapons.html |title=India destroys its chemical weapons stockpile - Yahoo! India News |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521195550/http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090514/812/tnl-india-destroys-its-chemical-weapons.html |archive-date=21 May 2009}}</ref> This was cross-checked by inspectors of the United Nations.

Producing or stockpiling mustard gas is prohibited by the [[Chemical Weapons Convention]]. When the convention entered force in 1997, the parties declared worldwide stockpiles of 17,440 tonnes of mustard gas. As of December 2015, 86% of these stockpiles had been destroyed.<ref>{{cite report |author=Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons |date=30 November 2016 |title=Report of the OPCW on the Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction in 2015 |chapter-url=https://www.opcw.org/documents-reports/annual-reports/ |chapter=Annex 3 |page=42 |access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref>

A significant portion of the United States' mustard agent [[stockpile (military)|stockpile]] was stored at the Edgewood Area of [[Aberdeen Proving Ground]] in [[Maryland]]. Approximately 1,621 tons of mustard agents were stored in one-ton containers on the base under heavy guard. A chemical neutralization plant was built on the proving ground and neutralized the last of this stockpile in February 2005. This stockpile had priority because of the potential for quick reduction of risk to the community. The nearest schools were fitted with overpressurization machinery to protect the students and faculty in the event of a catastrophic explosion and fire at the site. These projects, as well as planning, equipment, and training assistance, were provided to the surrounding community as a part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), a joint program of the Army and the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/csepp1.shtm |title=CSEPP Background Information |publisher=US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) |date=2 May 2006 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527013022/http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/csepp1.shtm |archive-date=27 May 2006}}</ref> Unexploded shells containing mustard gases and other chemical agents are still present in several test ranges in proximity to schools in the Edgewood area, but the smaller amounts of poison gas ({{convert|4|to|14|lb|kg|}}) present considerably lower risks. These remnants are being detected and excavated systematically for disposal. The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency oversaw disposal of several other chemical weapons stockpiles located across the United States in compliance with international chemical weapons treaties. These include the complete incineration of the chemical weapons stockpiled in [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[Indiana]], and [[Oregon]]. Earlier, this agency had also completed destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile located on [[Johnston Atoll]] located south of [[Hawaii]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003676918 |title=Milestones in U.S. Chemical Weapons Storage and Destruction, fact sheet, US Chemical Materials Agency |access-date=15 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915081558/http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003676918 |archive-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The largest mustard agent stockpile, at approximately 6,200 [[short ton]]s, was stored at the [[Deseret Chemical Depot]] in northern [[Utah]]. The incineration of this stockpile began in 2006. In May 2011, the last of the mustard agents in the stockpile were incinerated at the Deseret Chemical Depot, and the last artillery shells containing mustard gas were incinerated in January 2012.

In 2008, many empty [[aerial bomb]]s that contained mustard gas were found in an excavation at the [[Marrangaroo Army Base]] just west of Sydney, Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Ashworth L |title=Base's phantom war reveals its secrets |publisher=Fairfax Digital |date=7 August 2008 |url=http://lithgow.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/bases-phantom-war-reveals-its-secrets/1237570.aspx |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205033022/http://lithgow.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/bases-phantom-war-reveals-its-secrets/1237570.aspx |archive-date=5 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="MGOrg">[http://www.mustardgas.org/ Chemical Warfare in Australia]. Mustardgas.org. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.</ref> In 2009, a mining survey near [[Chinchilla, Queensland]], uncovered 144 105-millimeter [[howitzer]] shells, some containing "Mustard H", that had been buried by the U.S. Army during World War II.<ref name="MGOrg" /><ref>{{Cite news|author=Cumming, Stuart|title=Weapons await UN inspection|publisher=Toowoomba Chronicle|date=11 November 2009 |url=http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2009/11/11/weapons-await-un-inspection/}}</ref>

In 2014, a collection of 200 bombs was found near the [[Flanders|Flemish]] villages of [[Passendale]] and [[Moorslede]]. The majority of the bombs were filled with mustard agents. The bombs were left over from the German army and were meant to be used in the [[Battle of Passchendaele]] in World War I. It was the largest collection of chemical weapons ever found in Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|title=Farmer discovers 200 bombs (Dutch)|date=5 March 2014 |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20140304_01009955}}</ref>

A large amount of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, was found in a neighborhood of [[Washington, D.C.]] The cleanup was completed in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cleanup Complete At WWI Chemical Weapons Dump In D.C.'s Spring Valley|url=https://dcist.com/story/21/11/26/cleanup-complete-chemical-weapons-dump-dc-spring-valley/|access-date=2022-02-07|website=DCist|language=en|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207135510/https://dcist.com/story/21/11/26/cleanup-complete-chemical-weapons-dump-dc-spring-valley/|url-status=live}}</ref>