Researcher Warns of Halon Gas From War
STOCKHOLM — Large amounts of halon, a gas that can damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer, were emitted during the Gulf War, a Swedish researcher sent by the United Nations to Kuwait said in an interview published Sunday.
Arne Jernelov, a researcher with Stockholm’s Institute for Water and Air Research, said that halon gas was sprayed into aircraft fuel tanks during refueling to minimize the chance of accidental fires. It was also carried aboard military vehicles in fire extinguishers.
Halon is more destructive to the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, than chlorofluorocarbon gases, Jernelov said.
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