Mustard Leaks Found at U.S. Chemical Depots

Workers at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon detected trace amounts of mustard vapor inside a storage unit during a routine inspection on Thursday, the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency said (see GSN, Aug. 16).

A passive filter system prevented mustard gas from escaping into the surrounding environment.  Depot personnel installed a powered filter system on the storage igloo and planned to locate, inspect and decontaminate the source of the leak (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release I, Aug. 30).

Meanwhile, a 155 mm projectile leaked three drops of mustard agent at the Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah before workers found the leak on Thursday, the Chemical Materials Agency said (see GSN, Aug. 2).

Personnel wearing protective gear cleaned up the spilled material, decontaminated the leaking munition and sealed it in an airtight container.

No mustard vapor escaped from the filtered storage unit, the Army said (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release II, Aug. 30).

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