The OPCW has received information about the leakage of chemical agent from old chemical weapons stored in the north-eastern part of France near the small town of Vimy. Fears for explosions and agent leakage at this site had last week forced the evacuation of the population from the nearby areas.
The French authorities have in the meantime removed the old chemical weapons from this location to a safer storage facility. The Organisation is well aware of the existence of these and other old chemical weapons dating back to the period before 1925. As France is a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, such old chemical weapons had been declared to the OPCW and inspected by OPCW inspection teams before this incident occurred. Such old chemical weapons are to be destroyed as toxic waste in accordance with the applicable national regulations. The chemicals involved in this particular incident—mustard gas and phosgene—are two of the most dangerous compounds used in chemical weapons during World War I. Remnants of past chemical warfare are an uncomfortable contemporary reality in several countries, and continue to pose a threat to people and the environment. The OPCW welcomes the fact that the professional and swift response by the French authorities has averted any serious threat that this incident might otherwise have represented.
The OPCW has been in contact with the French authorities in order to facilitate the provision of any additional assistance, should it be required. The OPCW expresses its sincere sympathy to the residents of the areas subject to evacuation, and its strong support for the French experts whose actions have successfully contained this incident.
This unfortunate episode illustrates yet again the threat presented by chemical weapons and the need for their worldwide destruction to proceed as expeditiously as possible, with due regard to health, safety and the environment.
12/2001