Workers Discover Old Tank of VX at Newport Depot

A tank containing 20 gallons of VX nerve agent turned up last week during dismantlement of a former VX production plant at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana, U.S. Army officials said (see GSN, Jan. 25).

Workers discovered the tank on Jan. 19, and testing conducted over the weekend confirmed it contained VX, according to the Associated Press. The container was moved to concrete bunkers at the depot that already hold 1,269 tons of the nerve agent.

None of the workers who discovered the tank were exposed to VX and none of the liquid was released into the environment, said depot commander Lt. Col. Scott Kimmell (Associated Press, Jan. 25).

“We have plans in place for situations like this,” he said in a statement yesterday (Newport Chemical Depot release, Jan. 25).

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