U.S. Response:  Miami Holds Chemical Attack Exercise

More than 100 local, state and federal emergency response agencies took part in a simulated chemical weapons attack on a Miami, Fla., stadium yesterday (see GSN, May 16).

The $400,000 exercise involved a simulated attack by terrorists who exploded two chemical bombs during a Florida Marlins baseball game at the Pro Player Stadium, according to the Miami Herald.  The “bombs,” containing an unnamed chemical, affected 500 people.  Local students portrayed the victims.

While there could be improvements in speed and manpower, authorities said the exercise was mainly a success.

“The response was good, it was quick, it was efficient,” said Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne.  “I am very proud of how fire-rescue, law enforcement and health came together, really, for the first time,” he said (Martinez/Daniel, Miami Herald, May 22).

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United States:  U.S. Army to Use Warm Water to Dispose of Pine Bluff Arsenal Chemical Agents

The U.S. Army plans to dispose of thousands of gallons of chemical weapon precursor components currently stored at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas using warm water, the Pine Bluff Commercial reported today (see GSN, Dec. 10, 2002).

Larry Friedman, binary project manager for nonstockpile chemical material, outlined plans to destroy the arsenal’s quantities of methylphosphonyl diflouride (DF) and diisopropylaminoethyl methyl phosphonite (QL) for area residents at a public meeting yesterday.  DF and QL are precursor chemicals that form the nerve agents GB and VX, respectively, when mixed with other chemicals, according to the Commercial. 

The Pine Bluff Arsenal currently stores 50,000 canisters of DF and 300 55-gallon drums of DF and QL, of which 293 contain QL, according to Friedman.  Both chemical are precursors: alone neither is a weapon, but combined they turn deadly. 

The Army will use a process called hydrolysis to dispose of the chemicals, which involves mixing them with warm water to a concentration of less than 1,000 parts per million.  Once that is accomplished, the mixture will then be taken to an off-site commercial disposal facility where it will be further diluted.

The current destruction schedule calls for the chemicals to be destroyed by late 2005, Friedman said.  The DF stockpiles will be destroyed first in a process expected to last about eight weeks.  The QL stockpiles will then be destroyed during a two-week period (Scott Loftis, Pine Bluff Commercial, May 21).

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United States:  Anniston Workers Find Another Leaking Rocket

Employees at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama discovered a fourth rocket leaking chemical weapons last week, the Anniston Star reported Friday (see GSN, May 15).

News of the latest leaking rocket follows last Monday’s discovery of three rockets that were leaking the deadly GB nerve agent.  Officials verified the fourth leaking rocket May 14, according to the Star.

No GB nerve agent leaked from the tubes that hold the faulty rockets, depot officials said.  The leaking munitions were placed in larger containers and moved to a larger holding area that is inspected daily, the Star reported.

“They’ve got them canned,” said depot spokeswoman Cathy Coleman (Sara Clemence, Anniston Star, May 16).

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North Korea:  Nerve Gas Component May Have Been For North Korea

German officials intercepted 30 tons of sodium cyanide, which can be used to develop chemical weapons and might have been headed to North Korea, Pakistan’s Daily Star reported today (see GSN, May 16).

A German company was sending the cargo to a warehouse in Singapore, and U.S. officials requested the shipment be intercepted.  Washington believed the chemical was actually ordered by North Korea.  Sodium cyanide, commonly used in the treatment of metals, can also be used to make the nerve gas Tabun (Pakistan Daily Star, May 19).

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