Old Chemical Weapons in the Baltic Sea

By Caty Weaver¹
Broadcast: July 11, 2003
This is Bill White with the VOA Special English Environment Report.
The 1)Baltic Sea is home to thousands of tons of old chemical weapons. Britain, the Soviet² Union and the United States captured these from Nazi³ Germany. The Allies thought the best thing to do was to sink them, sometimes on ships, after World War Two. Poisons like arsenic⁴, 2)sarin and 3)mustard gas are among the weapons in the Baltic. Some bombs and shells under the sea date back to World War One.
Scientists say damage caused by the water has permitted poisons to 4)leak out of their containers. Some are mixing with sand and other sea material. Thick and sticky balls of mustard gas have formed. Fishing crews have pulled up bombs and shells. Some people have suffered chemical burns.
Fishing boats do not always obey restricted areas. Nor do they always know where weapons are located.
The Helsinki Commission is an 5)intergovernmental group that supervises the Baltic Sea environment. The commission has published 6)guidelines on how fishing boats can avoid risky⁵ areas. These guidelines also advise fishing crews what to do if they pull up weapons. Included is medical advice and information on how to clean boats after such an incident.
But, the commission says the weapons do not harm the Baltic Sea in any measurable way. It says current information suggests there is no risk to plants or animals in the sea. And, it says there is no evidence that poisons have gotten into seafood⁶ for humans.
The commission says the best way to deal with the weapons is to leave them alone. It says time will destroy what remains⁷. It argues that attempts to remove or contain them are riskier⁸ than leaving them under the sea where they may be buried under sand.
But not all scientists agree. Some say the situation is too risky to leave alone. Vadim Paka is the director of the Institute of Oceanography in Kaliningrad, Russia. He says any highly poisonous substance in the Baltic Sea system is dangerous. Mister Paka says the situation requires more study. He says failing to so could lead to tragedy.
Other waters around the world also hold weapons. But some people say the Baltic Sea may be at greater risk. It is only fifty meters deep on average. And it is a major shipping⁹ area with many people living along its coasts.
This VOA Special English Environment Report was written by Caty Weaver. This is Bill White.
注释：
1) Baltic Sea [5bC:ltik si:] n.波罗的海
2) sarin [5sB:rin] n.[军]沙林，甲氟膦酸异丙酯(一种用作神经性毒气的化学剂)
3) mustard [5mQstEd] n.芥子气
4) leak out  泄漏
5) intergovernmental [7intE^QvEn5mentEl] adj.政府间的
6) guideline [5^aid7lain] n.指导方针

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

4 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 riskier   

冒险的，危险的( risky的比较级 )

参考例句：

• Now they are starting to demand higher returns on riskier assets. 而今他们开始在风险更高的资产上要求更高的回报。
• The problem with that: RIM's business is getting riskier every quarter. 不过问题也随之而来：RIM面临的业务风险正逐季增大。

9 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。