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Senior Hopes Research Will Assist in Removing Chemical Weapons from the Sea For Immediate Release: 
Nadine Abdallah is a graduate of the United World College of New Mexico. RICHMOND, Ind. — Nadine Abdallah spent the summer of 2007 researching and mapping chemical weapons dumpsites. "This is the first time these have been documented on a global scale," says Abdallah, a senior biology major from Beirut, Lebanon. Her research involved dumping in the world's oceans, and she was able to map 104 sites off the coasts of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Her work was part of the United World College Scholars Fellowship Program in Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California. "This internship helped me realize that I can bring together my interests in science, politics and helping people," she says. "I came to Earlham as a biology major who wanted to go to medical school. The more classes I took in international relations and theory, the more I became drawn into them. Now I know that public health is what I am really interested in — something like the International Red Cross." At the Monterey Institute, Abdallah worked with eyewitness reports and journals to verify undocumented dumpsites, many of which came into existence at the end of World War I as countries worked to eliminate their stockpiles of chemicals. At best, the nerve, blister, pulmonary and lacrimatory agents were placed in sealed concrete vaults and thrown overboard several miles from the coast. "One account detailed a load of mustard gas that started leaking," she says. "The crew couldn't control the leak, so they dumped it in the water before reaching their destination. I think they thought the ocean was so big that it would dissipate and no harm would come of dumping." Her research told otherwise. "There are chemical and conventional weapons that have not been properly deactivated that are causing problems now," she says. "Any disturbance can cause them to be set off." Some World War I munitions remain live today and now are washing up on shores. The concrete vaults and other encasings have deteriorated over time and the chemicals are leaching into the water. "Mustard gas is stable in water and it looks shiny and glittery, so it may look really attractive to an average person if it is washed up on shore, and there are many cases in which it has," she says. She found reports of dolphins near the New Jersey coast developing blisters and reports of chemical weapons being hauled in with fishing nets. She found injuries and casualties in Hawaii, Scotland and Japan, among others sites associated with chemical weapons dumping. Abdallah says problems will continue to surface because of the improper disposal. "As time goes by, we will hear more and more about this issue," she predicts. "Clean up is a huge risk and it costs a lot of money. Right now, there's not a whole lot I can do except share this information with people who are willing to listen." She hopes the project she began will be completed and the findings published because the information would prove invaluable during a cleanup effort. — EC — Contact:
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Earlham
College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |