2:30 p.m., Dec. 19, 2002--Chemical weapons are in the news, raising many concerns and questions in people’s minds. To address these issues, Stanley I. Sandler, H.B. du Pont Chair of Chemical Engineering, will present a free, public lecture on “Chemical Weapons: What Are They, Where Are They and What Are We Doing About Them?” at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 8, in 126 MBNA America Hall.

Intended for a general audience, Sandler’s talk will explain what chemical weapons are, how they are delivered and where they are distributed around the world.

Many countries signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, agreeing to destroy their arsenals of chemical weapons by April 29, 2007, but it is unlikely that this deadline will be met, Sandler said. The U.S. has destroyed about 25 percent of its chemical weapons by incineration in the South Pacific and Utah. However, with significant public concerns about the use of incineration at U.S. Army depots in Kentucky, Washington, Arkansas, Colorado, Alabama, Indiana and Maryland, the U.S. Congress has mandated that alternate methods of destruction be considered.

Sandler will discuss proposed alternative destruction technologies advocated by local special interest groups, national environmental organizations, U.S. Army specialists, industry, U.S. Congress-mandated committees of the National Research Council and a consulting firm specializing in conflict resolution.

Sandler, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, has served five years on National Research Council committees examining alternate technologies for the demilitarization of armed chemical weapons. For more information about this lecture, call 831-4863 or send e-mail to [enggoutreach@udel.edu].

Article by Jeanine McGann