ABSTRACT

A number of countries have stockpiled large amounts of chemical warfare (CW) agents and other toxic chemicals and are trying to destroy them by safe methods. Factors such as cost, safety, release of secondary toxic chemicals during destruction, legal and political issues have to be considered before employing any method for the destruction of these chemicals. Although the destruction of toxic chemicals is not new and appears to have started in 1915 after the use of mustard gas by the Germans during World War I, none of the methods as we know today appear to be cost effective, safe, and foolproof. We will outline some methods used at the present time for the destruction of not only chemical weapons but other toxic chemicals. Excellent summary [1] and details [2] of several methods of destruction of toxic chemicals and munitions are available in these two citations. Heyl and McGuire [3] have edited a book entitled “Analytical Chemistry Associated with the Destruction of Chemical Weapons,” which is a collection of papers presented at a NATO Workshop. This book can be an excellent resource for individuals who wish to learn more about the chemistry of destruction.