Atlanta Journal-Constitution
September 1, 2003

Alabamians worry as sarin gas burns
Army destroys nerve agents; nearby town preps for danger

By MARK BIXLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ANNISTON, Ala. -- The Army destroyed several hundred gallons of sarin nerve agents Sunday in its first large-scale incineration of lethal chemicals near a populated area.

Authorities began burning sarin about 1:55 p.m. CST and were on pace to burn about 800 gallons by dawn today, said Mike Abrams, an Army spokesman. The chemicals, so deadly that a drop of sarin can kill, were drained from 900 Cold War-era rockets that were burned by a controversial $1 billion incinerator that went into operation Aug. 9.

The incinerator is key to the Army's plan to destroy aging chemical weapons, but people in and around this town 95 miles west of Atlanta kept county-issued gas masks at the ready Sunday.

"I know that all the equipment they have is good, but equipment does fail," said Jody Poppell, a 54-year-old sporting goods salesman at Wal-Mart. "There's always a chance that something could go wrong."

The Army says burning chemical weapons is safer than leaving them alone at the Anniston Army Depot, where government employees have found 882 leaks since 1982, Abrams said.

Most leaks were inside rockets or on bunker floors and none jeopardized public health, he said.

"We will employ the safest techniques possible to destroy chemical weapons where they are stored," he said. "There is absolutely no reason for anyone to alter their lifestyle as we destroy either the rockets or the agents."

The Army also burns chemicals in an incinerator in rural Utah and plans to destroy deadly agents in incinerators in Arkansas and Oregon, Abrams said.

The military destroys chemicals through methods other than burning at a few other places.

Sensors at the Anniston incinerator would alert authorities to any leak, but some people in eastern Alabama still have the jitters.

As a precaution, the Calhoun County government distributed gas masks, air purifiers, plastic sheets and duct tape to people who live near the incinerator.

Crews are working in schools and day care facilities to make some large rooms, such as gyms, airtight. They also are installing air filters and other equipment to create a safe area should something go awry.

Steve Estes, a 36-year-old engineer who works in Anniston, said he's so unnerved by it all that he plans to sell his house and move farther from the depot.

"Even if I have to drive an hour to work, I'll do it," he said. "Human errors happen."

Others point out that government employees involved in the destruction come into much closer contact with the chemicals than most of the 250,000 people who live within 30 miles of the incinerator. Many who work on the project live nearby, and if they think it's safe, the theory goes, others shouldn't fret.

"Why worry about it?" Adrian Quinn, 23, asked. "I've got enough stuff to worry about."

Still, he and his wife, Crissy, worry about her grandparents. Relatives have draped plastic sheets over some windows and electrical outlets in their house. They also sealed space around the base of a sink and commode -- anywhere air could seep it.

Crissy Quinn said her grandparents aren't particularly concerned about problems at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility but that the family put up the plastic because her grandparents live closer than other relatives to the depot.

Rufus Kinney, an English instructor at nearby Jacksonville State University, fought for years to prevent what happened Sunday.

"It's absolutely insane. This shouldn't be happening," he said. "I am ready to pack up and go at a moment's notice."

He helped push lawsuits that unsuccessfully tried to derail the incinerator and also participated in protest marches.

"I worked for 11 years to stop this, but there's nothing more I can do," he said. "Now I'm resigned to it."