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Pine Bluff Arsenal Destroying CW Detection Kits
The U.S. Army’s Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas last week began destroying Chemical Agent Identification Sets that were used to train the public and the military how to identify chemical weapons, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 29). More than 170,000 sets were produced and used between 1928 and 1969. The Army declared them obsolete in 1971 and began destroying the devices in 1979. The arsenal is expected to destroy 5,000 sets. Glass vials and bottles inside the sets include small amounts of chemical agents such as lewisite, mustard gas and other industrial chemicals, according to the Army’s Nonstockpile Chemical Materiel Project. Pine Bluff began destroying the sets on Aug. 1 using a portable system that neutralizes agents in the vials and bottles, according to AP. In a trailer that serves as the center of operations, workers remove, sort and neutralize the agents in a three-station glove box. Negative pressure in the trailer and boxes prevents chemicals from escaping. Air in the trailer is also monitored to protect workers. Other trailers provide laboratory support and power, according to the Army (Associated Press, Aug. 10).
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