embargoed until: Tuesday June 19, 1997
CITIZENS FROM KENTUCKY AND OREGON POSSIBLY EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL AGENT DURING PUBLIC RELATIONS TOUR OF UTAH INCINERATOR; ARMY NOTIFIES CITIZENS ONLY AFTER ANONYMOUS PHONE CALLS REVEAL INCIDENT
Watchdog Groups accuse the Army of permit and operational violations,
disregard for citizens well-being and a cover-up
During civilian tours of the Army's Tooele Chemical Demilitarization Facility (TOCDF),
citizens from Kentucky and Oregon, on May 28th and 30th respectively, were brought into a
section of the plant that was discovered to have chemical agent contaminated munitions parts
openly stored in that area.
The 38 citizens, 20 from Kentucky and 18 from Oregon, were not wearing any protective
clothing and were not contacted until almost a week later and informed they had been placed at
risk. Citizen watchdog groups claim there was a blatant attempt to cover-up the incident in the
interest of protecting the image of the controversial incineration facility. According to official
documents obtained by the Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG), the events leading up to
the incident and subsequent cover-up unfolded as follows.
On May 28, MC-1 bomb casings were delivered to the TOCDF to calibrate disassembly
equipment. In violation of their own policies, these bombs were stored in an area frequented by
unprotected workers, and in this case civilians, without being certified agent-free. The bombs
had no accompanying documentation, as required, showing they were free of chemical agent
contamination. The Kentucky citizens were escorted into this area (the Container Handling
Building) later that day as part of the TOCDF tour. The Army decided, after the citizens left the
area, to test the munitions for agent, as no documentation to prove the bombs were agent free
could be located.
On May 30, at 1200, samples were taken from the bombs and sent to the TOCDF laboratory for
analysis. At 1630, that same day, without the laboratory results being received, the Oregon
tour group was escorted through the same area, again unprotected. They stayed in the area for
about 15 minutes, inspecting the bombs at close range. At 1745, the laboratory results were
received confirming GB (Sarin) agent presence within the bomb casings. The Oregon group was
still on the tour, but were not informed they had possibly been exposed. The Army decided not
to classify the incident as a "chemical event," based solely on the fact that no alarm had sounded.
A "chemical event" would have triggered a required series of notifications to state and local
emergency management agencies concerning the incident as well as immediate blood sampling of
the Oregon citizens. Immediate notification along with prompt medical attention for the
Kentucky tour participants would have also been required.
Because of this "non-event" classification, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) was also not informed. The Army claims they intended to tell DEQ on Monday, June 2nd,
three days later.
That same evening, the bombs were wrapped in plastic, placed in a container and moved
to an area approved for storing contaminated munitions.
On May 31, Utah DEQ received an anonymous phone call revealing the events that transpired
during the tours. The DEQ called the TOCDF facility to ask followup questions. According to
Army documents, "Because of the recent interest, a decision was made to classify the agent
detection within the bombs as a 'chemical event'." Half of the Oregon tour group was
still in a hotel in Utah at that time. However, no citizens from either group were notified until
four days later.
On June 2, a second anonymous call was placed revealing the incident, this time to the City
Manager of Hermiston, Oregon. Still, no citizens were notified.
On June 4, a week after the Kentucky tour, and five days after the Oregon tour, citizens were
contacted and told of the incident while being reassured that they were never at any risk.
According to CWWG sources, the Oregon citizens were advised to have their blood checked for
chemical agent exposure. Kentucky citizens were not advised to seek medical attention.
In a letter to Major General Robert Orton, Program Manager for Chemical Weapon
Demilitarization, Representative Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) said, "If the safety of a group touring
the Tooele incinerator cannot be assured, how can the citizens of Oregon trust that the Army
will protect their safety once the planned incinertor at Umatilla (Oregon) is operational?"
CWWG spokesperson, Craig Williams said, "The events at TOCDF between May 28 and June 4
violate so many procedures, regulatory requirements and humanitarian obligations that even
the critics of the facility are shocked. It is obvious, from reviewing the documents, that the
priority concern at TOCDF was to withhold information from anyone outside the circle of the
Army and their contractor about these events.">
Standard Operating Procedures and/or Regulatory Violations occurred in at least the following
areas:
* Munitions tracking, testing, handling, labeling, documentation, storage and monitoring;
* Procedures for deciding that "this situation is not a chemical event;"
* Notification requirements to workers, citizens, state and local agencies;
* Notification requirements to citizens after deciding that there was a "chemical event;"
Williams said, "Until the information got out of their control (ie: the anonymous call to an
Oregon citizen) the Army was content to cover-up the risks to which they exposed the citizens .
Even then, it took them two days to notify the citizens, while Public Affairs tried to decide how
to 'damage control' the situation. Only after it was certain they could not prevent the public
from finding out about this did they act. To have citizens still on the facility grounds after
discovering they had possibly been exposed and not taking action in the interest of their well-
being is beyond understanding. They've really hit bottom on this one."
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a letter sent to Secretary of Defense William Cohen yesterday
said, "As the process of destroying the chemical stocks goes forward, public safety and
emergency preparedness should be our top concerns."
Williams said, " The TOCDF facility must be shut down until a full independent investigation
of this incident and other management, safety and environmental problems is completed."
Ironically, these tour events began within a week of the Army's "Management Assessment Team
Report " that found that the incinerator has a "rigorous set of redundant protections to ensure
personnel and the environment remain protected."
Williams pointed out that, "These reviews are all but meaningless when you consider who's on
these Assessment Teams. The latest""Team" was comprised of seven people, six of whom work
for the Army's Program Manager or EG&G, the Army contractor on which their jobs depend.
It's a joke to think they would come to any conclusion that was not pre-destined to recommend
continued operation of this facility. Their top priority is schedule compliance and profit,
period."
Documents referred to in this release are available from the CWWG office.
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