Environment
Old ammunition in the North Sea: No acute danger to people
An ammunition case in an exhibition stand in Bremerhaven. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
European scientists have studied corroding wrecks and munitions in the North Sea. What dangers does this pose for humans and sea creatures?
The remains of ammunition from World War II in the North Sea do not pose any acute danger to humans. This is a result of the European research project “North Sea Wrecks” led by the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, which was presented on Wednesday.
Scientists took samples from 15 military wrecks in the German, Danish, Dutch and Belgian North Sea. In addition, mussels and fish were examined for toxic substances. Potentially carcinogenic substances such as TNT have been found in concentrations that are safe for humans to consume, said project coordinator Sven Bergmann.
For mussels and fish, however, the gradual release of chemicals from corroding old ammunition meant stress. In the wreck of the cruiser “Ariadne”, which was sunk in a naval battle off Helgoland in 1914, the researchers also discovered fish with a striking number of tumors, said Edmund Maser, a toxicologist at the University of Kiel. There is a risk that biodiversity will suffer in the long term.