CDC Knocks VX Byproduct Dumping, Lawmaker Says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to release a report today indicating that dumping VX neutralization byproduct into the Delaware River could harm fish and wildlife, according to U.S. Representative Rob Andrews (see GSN, March 3).

“This report will and should put an end to this bad idea of disposing of the byproduct in the Delaware River,” Andrews (D-N.J.) told the Associated Press.

Neutralization of 1,269 tons of the nerve agent at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana is expected to leave 4 million gallons of hydrolysate. DuPont plans to treat the wastewater in New Jersey to eliminate or capture toxins, and then dump the byproduct into the Delaware River.

However, the CDC report states that trace amounts of VX could remain in the wastewater, and that heavy metals are another potential problem, Andrews told AP.

The lawmaker said he will raise the issue today during a House Armed Services subcommittee meeting, and plans to press the Army not to send the hydrolysate to New Jersey (Donna De La Cruz, Associated Press/PhillyBurbs.com, April 6).

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