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Mustard Agent Detected at Aberdeen
A trace of mustard gas was detected Friday at the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Maryland (see GSN, Oct. 26). Workers were visually inspecting a container that had already been cleaned when the alarm sounded. The building was evacuated, but the community and the environment were not threatened, according to a U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release. The four workers who were inspecting the container received medical attention and were cleared to return to work. The container that tripped the alarm previously stored mustard gas. It was in the last stage of an 11-step process in which it was bisected, cleansed with hot water, steam cleaned and dried and monitored for remaining chemicals. The Army said a tube in the container still held agent residue. “Despite the fact that we are dealing with levels of agent vapor so miniscule that they are only trace amounts, we are taking measures to prevent a reoccurrence of this scenario because safely is our first priority,” project manager Joseph Lovrich said in the release. He said the Army plans to conduct more rigorous cleaning and monitoring (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Nov. 4).
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