Problems of Selecting a Method for Destruction of Adamsite Abandoned on the Territory of Poland during World War II

Abstract

Poland does not possess any chemical weapons and for that reason will fortunately have no problems concerning their destruction. We will not have the problems of choosing from the traditional technologies or the alternative technologies, that is, those that are the objective of our workshop. But, unfortunately, we do have on the territory of Poland 9300 kg of adamsite which was, according to our information, abandoned by Germany. Independent of its classified as “abandoned chemical weapon” or “old chemical weapon” it remains toxic waste, and requires destruction. Adamsite is not as dangerous and toxic a chemical as organophosphorus nerve agents like sarin, soman, VX, or blister agent like mustard, but its full and safe destruction is not an easy task. From a chemical point of view adamsite, as is illustrated in figure 1, is diphenylaminochloroarsine (phenarsazine chloride) with standard NATO agreement code DM.