Mustard Leak Uncovered at Umatilla Chemical Depot

Personnel at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon yesterday detected minute levels of mustard vapor inside a storage unit housing bulk containers of the blister agent, the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency said (see GSN, Sept. 4, 2007).

A passive filter system prevented mustard agent from escaping to the outside environment, and workers installed a powered filter system as an additional safety precaution (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, May 19).

Meanwhile, installation of groundwater monitoring wells at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado stopped yesterday following detection of small amounts lewisite at the former chemical weapons production site, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 7, 2004).

The United States produced the chemical warfare agent at the  facility in 1943.  The area is located roughly 10 miles from downtown Denver (Associated Press/Denver Post, May 20).

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