Sunken Secrets of the Baltic Sea: A Toxicologist's Urgent Call to RemoveWWII Munitions
Salvage Expert Issues Alert on Swift Recovery of Weapons from the Baltic Sea - Expert in poison study advocates for swift retrieval of weapons from Baltic waters
In a serious warning to the authorities, toxicologist Edmund Maser, the director of the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology for Natural Scientists at Kiel's Christian-Albrechts-Universität, is sounding the alarm about the urgent need to remove munitions from World War II that remain in the Baltic Sea. Addressing the environmental committee of the state parliament, he emphasized the gravity of the situation and the urgency to act swiftly.
"We simply can't afford to tread lightly anymore," Maser stated, referring to the federal government's immediate program for the removal of chemical weapons, to which 100 million euros have been allocated.
Maser highlighted the dangerous potential of explosives from sunken wartime munitions, which are not only toxic but also carcinogenic, citing studies that show TNT has been found in mussels and fish in the Baltic Sea, albeit at levels below harmful concentrations for humans at present.
For clarification, Maser added that consuming both fish and mussels from the Baltic Sea remains safe, aping examples of eating 500 grams of fish and 700 grams of flounders daily near shipwrecks in the North Sea, where TNT is released, would be unrealistic for any human.
Yet, Maser issued a stern warning about the impending threat to marine ecology and biodiversity from the chronic pollution of the sea by World War II munitions, microplastics, and other substances. He explained that the metal casings of munition bodies, like mines, sea mines, or even air bombs, corrode and release their toxic contents, such as the carcinogenic TNT.
It's estimated that there are around 1.6 million tons of munitions in the German North and Baltic Seas, a staggering legacy of war that poses a lasting threat to our marine ecosystems.
- Baltic Sea
- Recovery
- Munitions
- Legacy pollution
- Marine Ecology
"The urgent need for a policy within the community should focus on the recovery of the massive amount of munitions from the Baltic Sea, which forms a sizable part of the ongoing legacy pollution. This action is crucial to ensure the health-and-wellness of marine ecology, as the corrosion of these munitions releases harmful substances like TNT, a carcinogenic compound that poses a threat to ocean biodiversity."
"Moreover, it would be advantageous to incorporate vocational training programs in environmental science and marine ecology, enabling individuals to participate in the recovery efforts and contribute to the research on the impacts of climate-change, microplastics, and munitions on the Baltic Sea ecosystem."
