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U.S. Army Works to Restart Newport CW Destruction
U.S. Army officials are working to remove the flammable chemical in wastewater produced by VX nerve agent destruction at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana so that the waste can be safely disposed of, The News Journal reported today (see GSN, July 1). Work at Newport stopped in June because of concerns about the potential for fires caused by the waste product. Once the chemical is removed, the Army hopes to restart weapons disposal, according to the News Journal. Army Chemical Materials Agency spokesman Jeff Lindblad said changes are planned so that the waste product would not ignite spontaneously at temperatures of 140 degrees or lower, the standard used nationally for hazardous waste management. The waste product was originally believed to be flammable at 200 degree, but subsequent tests showed the ignition point to be between 68 and 88 degrees. The problem was traced to a compound called diisopropylamine. “They'll basically try to remove it. I'm not sure of the whole process. They're looking at various ways,” Lindblad said. The wastewater ultimately could be shipped east for final processing and dumping in the Delaware River. Delaware officials plan to monitor the process, said David Small, deputy secretary for Delaware's Natural Resources and Environmental Control Department. The state is awaiting safety test results from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We're still in a holding pattern, as far as I know,” Small said (Jeff Montgomery/News Journal, Aug. 3).
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