Editing Nerve agent (section)

===Ocean disposal===
In 1972, the United States Congress banned the practice of disposing chemical weapons into the ocean. Thirty-two thousand [[ton]]s of nerve and mustard agents had already been dumped into the ocean waters off the United States by the U.S. Army, primarily as part of [[Operation CHASE]]. According to a 1998 report by William Brankowitz, a deputy project manager in the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, the Army created at least 26 chemical weapons dump sites in the ocean off at least 11 states on both the west and east coasts. Due to poor records, they currently only know the rough whereabouts of half of them.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/readingroom/camp_lejeune/trianadoc21a.pdf|title=Chemical Weapons Movement History Compilation|last=Brankowitz|first=William R.|date=27 April 1987|publisher=Office of the Program Manager for Chemical Munitions|location=Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland|name-list-style=vanc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712223532/http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/readingroom/camp_lejeune/trianadoc21a.pdf|archive-date=2013-07-12|url-status=dead}}</ref>
  
There is currently a lack of scientific data regarding the ecological and health effects of this dumping. In the event of leakage, many nerve agents are soluble in water and would dissolve in a few days, while other substances like [[sulfur mustard]] could last longer. There have also been a few incidents of chemical weapons washing ashore or being accidentally retrieved, for example during dredging or [[Trawling|trawl fishing]] operations.<ref>{{cite report |id={{DTIC|ADA462443}} |last1=Bearden |first1=David M. |date=13 July 2006 |title=U.S. Disposal of Chemical Weapons in the Ocean: Background and Issues for Congress }}</ref>