Burial of Chemical Weapons

The Instructions for the Care, Storage and Handling of Gas Warfare Material issued by the Gas Service A.E.F., June 15, 1918, stated, If a leak is suspected it should be reported immediately and all men required to work near the dump should keep the respirator in the alert position. The suspected shell should be located immediately and removed and buried. The removal and disposal of leaky shells should be conducted only by men wearing respirators and gloves. Holes 4 feet deep will always be kept prepared...  

This manual continues with more detailed instructions  

The H is then poured over a pile of loose earth and bleaching powder mixture in the bottom of a hole about 5 feet deep, dug at least 200 yards from well sites, streams, or bodies of water. Personnel must have the wind blowing away from them during this operation. 

A publication entitled Non-Stockpile Chemical Material Program-Interim Survey and Analysis Report by the U.S. Army Chemical Material Destruction Agency, April 1993, states. 

One of the most difficult problems associated with buried CWM is the lack of available information. Even at well-documented burial sites, the condition of the material in the subsurface is usually unknown. Even when many sophisticated geophysical procedures are employed in attempting to determine the identity and condition of the buried material, until excavation and positive identification can be made, the actual hazards associated with the material remain relatively unknown. Archeological type excavation by hand is frequently employed in uncovering CWM, 

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Chemical Sureties/Weapons As with conventional ordnance, burial of chemical weapons was an accepted disposal practice. The lack of accurate disposal records and the acute threat represent significant challenges to the restoration of lands that may contain buried chemical agents. Leaking stockpiles of chemical weapons also represent a threat to human health... 

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