Global Security Newswire

Chemical stockpiles and disposal sites in the United States should use monitors that can detect an agent release in seconds rather than hours, the Chemical Weapons Working Group said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 6).

The coalition of citizens’ groups said it can take as long as 12 hours for present monitors to detect leaks of chemical agents, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. An advanced system used by U.S. troops in Iraq could catch a release in 20 seconds, the organization said.

“Current systems have significant problems in identifying and quantifying agents — coupled with an unacceptable time frame within which to warn depot workers and communities of a possible release of agents,” Craig Williams, the organization’s director, said during a telephone press conference.

Total price for the monitoring systems would be $25 million, Williams said.

The U.S. Army’s monitoring system at the Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah “is effective and fully provides for the protection of its workers, the community and the environment,” said spokesman Chuck Sprague (Dawn House, The Salt Lake Tribune, April 21).