Incineration Begins at Pine Bluff

The Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Arkansas destroyed its first two chemical munitions yesterday and plans to incinerate another 28 today, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 29).

A leaking coolant hose and another minor technical glitch slowed the process yesterday. Disposal work began at 9:30 a.m.; the first sarin-filled M55 rocket was destroyed at 11:20 a.m., followed by the second munition at 4:15 p.m.

“Things will now get very boring around here,” said Dale Ormond, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Army. “There are another 90,000 (sarin) rockets here and things do happen when you’re new in the process. But hopefully the system is designed to surround the workers with an envelope so when something happens we can take a look at it and correct it.”

Disposal of all chemical weapons at the facility is expected to take five years, AP reported (David Hammer, Associated Press, March 30).

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