U.S. Response:  Pentagon Distributes 25,000 Gas Masks

The U.S. Defense Department has distributed 25,000 gas masks to Pentagon employees in the Washington area, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 21).

In late February, Pentagon officials began handing out “escape hoods” and training hundreds of employees each day to use the emergency equipment.  Defense officials also distributed gas masks to Pentagon press correspondents.

The Defense Department intends to distribute the masks to 80,000 employees in the Pentagon and nearby defense facilities.  Defense personnel are supposed to keep the masks at their desks except for emergency situations, when employees can carry the masks on their belts (Associated Press/Kansas City Star, June 2).

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CWC:  Tonga Ratifies Treaty

Tonga last week submitted its instruments of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention (see GSN, May 13), making it the 153rd party to the treaty when Tonga’s accession takes effect June 28.  The nation is the eighth Pacific island state to join the treaty (OPCW release, June 3).

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United States:  Anniston Incineration May Begin Before All Safety Measures Are in Place

Four top-priority public safety measures may not be in place when the U.S. Army begins destroying a stockpile of chemical weapons in Alabama this summer, the Birmingham News reported Saturday  (see GSN, March 3).

Of greatest concern to local officials is the Army’s plan to begin burning the weapons at the Anniston Army Depot in July before construction begins on improved school ventilation systems to keep children safe in the event of an accident, according to the News.

More than 2,200 tons of chemical munitions stored at the depot are slated for disposal under the Chemical Weapons Convention.  Army officials are currently awaiting final approval from state environmental regulators before the incineration begins, the News reported.

Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) in January told Army officials he would oppose the opening of the incinerator unless four safety requirements were met: protecting nearby schools; assisting residents with special needs, such as the disabled; equipping the Army to activate warning sirens instead of having to call county officials first; and updating the emergency response plan to take into account the greater danger posed by lower levels of toxins, the News reported.

Although the Army plans appear to defy Shelby’s requests, the five-page proposed agreement notes that the ventilation systems will be intact by the time students return to class this fall.  The other three safety issues outlined by Shelby will “proceed concurrently with full agent destruction operations,” according to the agreement.

“Initiation of these reforms is a step forward; however, I will hold my judgment until I know where we are in terms of the initiation of these necessary safety requirements and the Army’s timetable for implementation,” Shelby said, adding that there was room for compromise (Mary Orndorff, Birmingham News, May 31).

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