Screening level fish community risk assessment of chemical warfare agents in the Baltic Sea.

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have been disposed of in various fashions over the past decades. Significant amounts (approximately 11,000 tonnes) have been dumped in the Baltic Sea east of the island Bornholm following the disarmament of Germany after World War II, causing concerns over potential environmental risks. Absence of risk based on assumptions of extremely low solubility of CWAs cannot alone dismiss these concerns. Existing and modelled fate and effects data were used in the analysis to assess the fish community risk level. The most realistic and also conservative assessment result is the scenario describing 70 m water depth for the most realistic dump-site area with a focus on chronic toxicity, at 0-20 cm above the sediment, yielding a total mixture toxic unit (TU) of 0.62. Triphenylarsine is the CWA with the highest realistic risk profile at 0.2 TU for the fish community followed by Adamsite (0.17), Clark I (0.086) and Yperite (0.083) TU. Adamsite is more persistent and constitutes a potential risk for a longer period than triphenylarsine. The seawater volume potentially at risk is <4 m above sediment and <58 km down current of dump sites. Further risk assessment of dumped CWAs in the Baltic Sea is warranted.