Search unearths mortar shell at site of WWII chemical fort

6/28/2006

The Associated Press

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) -- Searchers looking for old munitions on a farm that once was an Army base used for chemical weapons training unearthed a liquid-filled mortar shell, but officials said Wednesday it would be days before they determine its contents.

The 4.2-inch mortar shell will be kept in a holding area until a unit comes from Maryland to investigate, said Pat Robbins, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The unit should arrive at the site of the old Camp Sibert within 10 days, he said.

"We have it in secured storage. It is no danger to anyone," said Robbins.

Located in rural Etowah County in northeast Alabama, Camp Sibert was the largest U.S. chemical weapons school during World War II. The Army sold the base decades ago after removing tons of debris, but it is still checking to make sure all munitions were cleared.

A search in 2002 located an old artillery shell containing the chemical phosgene, a choking agent, in a field near a house. Robbins said the mortar shell was found in the same area, which was once an artillery range where troops trained to use chemical agents.

Residents have found many war relics at the old camp site, and two 4.2-inch mortar shells turned over to the military earlier this year contained tear gas rather than a more hazardous substance.

Given the uncertainty over the contents of the shell found this week by contractors, Robbins said officials were treating it like a live chemical round.

"That's part of our normal safety procedures," he said.

Camp Sibert was used to train about 5,000 troops with chemical agents including mustard gas and lewisite, which cause blistering and can be fatal if inhaled. At least 45,000 people now live around the old base, which covered 38,000 acres.

The camp is considered one of the Army's top cleanup priorities among old military sites.