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Successful Test Allows Newport CW Disposal To Begin
Destruction of more than 250,000 gallons of VX at the U.S. Army Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana can begin following a successful test to neutralize the nerve agent, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 6). Contractor Parsons Technology aims to destroy approximately 540 gallons of VX by the end of the week, said Army site manager Jeff Brubaker. Neutralization of the remaining agent is anticipated to take more than two years. Newport residents “have waited a long time for neutralization to begin, and we are now one day closer to eliminating the risks that the VX poses to their communities,” Brubaker said (Associated Press, May 10). Destruction of the nerve agent sarin is also moving along at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama. Between April 28 and May 5, the site destroyed 1,072 pounds of sarin and 1,691 artillery shells, the Anniston Star reported Sunday. Army officials attribute the rapid destruction to processing of the smaller 155 mm shells as opposed to the larger 8-inch shells that were previously processed. “We can put more of the 155 rounds in a tray,” site manager Tim Garrett said. “It’s 27 in a tray for an 8-inch, versus 48 for the 155. So you’ll see it go faster from a numbers perspective.” Other chemical weapons disposal sites have remained active, the Star reported. Since late March, Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility in Arkansas has destroyed almost 20,000 pounds of nerve agent. The Toole Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Utah also destroyed 2,846 mines filled with VX from April 17 to May 1. Utah’s Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility reopened last week following an April 23 fire in a containment room. The cause of the fire is not yet known (Brian Lyman, Anniston Star, May 8). The Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky has been working to deal with moisture buildup in chemical weapon storage igloos that could weaken the pallets on which the munitions are placed, the Richmond Register reported Saturday. “Some of the pallets were being water logged,” said Army spokesman Dave Easter. “If the pallets become unstable, they could fall over. This could happen when an employee is in the igloo and cause physical harm or at worst, death either from trauma or from chemical agent if it spills. Spilling is not likely, but is possible. And, if there is a spill, that presents a threat to the local community.” Easter says vents allowing moisture into the igloos are set to be closed and the slope of the land around the igloos will be altered to force water away from the structures. Waterproof tarps will also be placed over the igloos. Work cannot begin without approval from the Kentucky Waste Management Department, the Register reported (Ronica Brandenberg, Richmond Register, May 7).
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