Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

[Soundbounder]

A clam boat working south of Long Island dredged up old munitions including cannisters of mustard gas. One fisherman exposed to it has been hospitalized

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/08/crewman_aboard_fishing_boat_exposed_to_mustard_gas/?camp=obnetwork

[Mrleft8]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Not nearly as nice as the cases of Canadian whiskey they regularly dredge up around here.... Lotta prohibition era booze out there still they say...

[Ian McColgin]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

One of the problems with even diagnosing is that there is so very little current information on mustard gas. Of course, we have more modern horrors, but still.

[Breakaway]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Sad for the injured crew. Draggers pull that stuff up more than makes the news.

The Coast Guard was trying to locate the two military shells, which the crew tossed overboard in about 60 feet of water about 45 miles south of Long Island, said Coast Guard Petty Officer James Rhodes.

The Coast Guard spokesman should try looking a chart. Its should be 60-fathoms, not 60-feet.

Kevin

[nedL]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

When I was commercial scalloping we never pulled up any munitions, but we did pull up some "cement overshoes" about 150 miles off Atlantic City.

[Soundbounder]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Weapons Are Common Catch, Fishermen Say

Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/06/09/weapons_are_common_catch_fishermen_say/

[JBreeze]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

One of the problems with even diagnosing is that there is so very little current information on mustard gas. Of course, we have more modern horrors, but still.

Jeez, Ian .... the mustard gases were the basis of modern chemotherapy. One of the effects of the mustards was a reduction in white blood cells. Hey, maybe this might be useful in cancers, such as lymphoma, where lymphocytes are out of control!

Obviously, these alkylating agents agents aren't given to patients in gasseous form, but they are well studied and their effects are very well known, and they are still an important part of the oncologist's
armamentarium. I can't think of many nasty chemicals that have been studied as thoroughly as the mustards.

[Ian McColgin]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

And yet diagnosis was so tricky.

[JBreeze]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

And yet diagnosis was so tricky.

I didn't know that. The Globe article didn't give any indication of a difficult diagnosis, and there is a wealth of information available to the medical professional:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_gas

[Ian McColgin]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Yeah - deadly use of mustard gas is different from medical uses. Adding to the difficulty is that of all the places one might find old mustard gas ammo, that's not one.

[David W Pratt]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

At least the Navy didn't sink their boat.
A few years ago a boat in that area trawled up a torpedo. The Navy ordered the crew off, towed the trawler out to sea and blew it up.

[Breakaway]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

A few years ago a boat in that area trawled up a torpedo. T

Yup. That's Danny Hand's old boat, the dragger Shinnecock.She lies in 65 feet of water just outside Shinnecock Inlet. Good fishing wreck to this day.

Kevin

Edited: He ended up getting reibursed for the boat as I recall.

[Soundbounder]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Just read this:

Hospitalized Fisherman In Good Condition

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100611/NEWS/6110340

[ishmael]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

Golly, blowing your boat up because you dredge up a WW II era torpedo sounds extreme. Are they that volatilve that they couldn't take it off and dispose of the warhead? Apparently, they are. I haven't read the links.

A cautionary tale! For decades we hauled all kinds of stuff out a few miles and dumped it. Out of sight out of mind. I hope we are more aware of our continental shelves these days.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Re: Fisherman Exposed To Mustard Gas

I should mention that at the end of both world wars, stocks of munitions, including large quantities of gas shells were dumped at sea. The dumping grounds are of course marked on charts.

"Hang on", you say, "Poison gas was not used in WW2"

Indeed it was not, which is why, at the end of the war, both sides' stockpiles were dumped at sea.