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This weeks Chemical Weapons stories for Wednesday, July 17, 2002.
OPCW: Executive Council Nominates New Director GeneralBy Mike Nartker The council decided on Monday to recommend Rogelio Pfirter during its 19th meeting at The Hague, the OPCW said in a press release. It had been decided during the organization’s first special session, when Bustani was voted out of his position, that OPCW members from Latin America and the Caribbean would have the first chance to recommend a replacement to the council, OPCW spokesman Peter Kaiser said last month. The Latin American-Caribbean group of OPCW members notified the executive council at the end of May that they probably would not be able to present a qualified candidate, Kaiser said. The council then decided to open the nomination process to all OPCW members, with developing countries encouraged to put forward a candidate, he said. Latin American and Caribbean countries were not restricted from nominating a candidate at that time, he added. The council will make its recommendation to the Conference of States Parties when the first special session reconvenes, which is scheduled for July 25. The full OPCW decision on the new director general would probably be made through a consensus, since an actual vote would imply that some members did not favor the candidate and would thereby erode support, Kaiser said. Bustani was chosen as director general through a consensus vote, he added. The United States, which led the campaign for Bustani’s removal, did not attempt to influence the nomination process, Kaiser said, adding that no member offered preconceptions for a director general candidate (see GSN, April 30). There are no signs that the “rancorous debate” that occurred before Bustani was removed from the director general position will occur when the organization decides on his replacement, Kaiser said. “Everyone is hoping that this process will come to a swift and smooth conclusion,” he said. For further information, see:
United States: Worker Exposed to Sarin at Utah Chemical IncineratorArmy officials have confirmed that a worker at the Tooele, Utah, chemical weapons incinerator was exposed Monday to residual traces of sarin, a gas that attacks the nervous system, the Anniston Star reported today. The incident was the first confirmed exposure in the facility’s history (see GSN, Jan. 8). The employee, whose name was not released, was working with other staff to change equipment used to destroy sarin to prepare the facility to incinerate VX nerve agent. The plant completed sarin destruction in March and is not processing agent at this time. An alarm indicating sarin in the air sounded in the room where the employee and a co-worker were conducting maintenance work on a line that blows leftover agent into a furnace. The two workers put on gas masks and reported to the clinic, where decontamination continued and a health worker checked their blood. One worker tested positive for agent and after an observation period returned to nontoxic duties. The Army and the facility’s contractor EG&G Defense Materials are investigating the incident, the Star reported. “Incineration has failed to protect workers,” said Jason Groenewold, director of Utah’s Families Against Incinerator Risk (see GSN, May 3). “The best way to ensure the safety of workers is to use a safer disposal technology.” Meanwhile, staff and management at the Anniston, Ala., chemical weapons incinerator, which is scheduled to begin destroying sarin later this year, will learn from the Tooele incident, Anniston depot official Mike Abrams said (see GSN, July 11). “We are training our people to work very, very safely so we can consequently destroy the weapons very, very safely,” he said (Matthew Creamer, Anniston Star, July 17). For further information, see: Federation of American Scientists Information on Chemical Weapons
United States: Umatilla to Begin Test Burns Next WeekThe Oregon Environmental Quality Department approved a U.S. Army plan Friday to test new chemical weapons incinerators at Umatilla Chemical Depot. The Army plans to begin initial tests next week, following up with tests on a second incinerator in January and tests on the metal parts furnace in March (see GSN, June 24). “This is a wonderful and important step for the project,” said Gary Anderson, deputy project manager for the Army. “Every ‘t’ has been crossed, every ‘i’ dotted.” The first test, which will last 45 days, will involve simulated weapon test chemicals trichlorobenzene, a degreasing agent, and perchloroethylene, a cleaning solvent, the Oregonian reported. “The surrogates are more difficult to destroy but less toxic,” said Wayne Thomas, project manager for the Environmental Quality Department. “There’s a dual benefit here.” The Army will monitor emissions during the tests, Anderson added. Army officials have said that if the incinerator destroys 99.9999 percent of the chemicals, they probably could begin burning the weapons, according to the Oregonian. Incineration of the chemical weapons, including mustard, sarin and VX gases, is scheduled to begin in May 2003. Some activists criticized the department’s decision to approve the Army plans. The Sierra Club is involved in a lawsuit claiming that depot plans to respond to an emergency do not meet safety criteria. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, however, said last month that communities near the chemical depot are prepared for an emergency (see GSN, June 13). A state committee had recommended signing the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Plan (see GSN, May 15; Eric Hand, Oregonian, July 13). For further information, see: Federation of American Scientists Information on Chemical Weapons
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