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June 22, 2005 VX destruction on hold for training
NEWPORT, Ind. — Workers at the Newport Chemical Agency
Disposal Facility will not resume destroying a stockpile of deadly VX nerve
agent until they complete training on what was learned after a spill earlier
this month. Jeff Brubaker, the Army’s site manager, said contractor
Parsons Technology Inc. cannot start the process again until all the shifts
go through training related to the 30 gallon spill of a mixture of VX, water
and sodium hydroxide on June 10. He said safety remains the priority of the Army when
resuming VX destruction. A drop of VX the size of a BB can kill a human in
minutes. “It’s unfortunate that we have a small spill, but the
good news is the plant systems reacted as designed,” Brubaker said. “I’m very happy with the performance with the plant
itself and with this work force.” When the training is completed, VX neutralization will
resume, Brubaker said. “The restart will be very slow and deliberate,” he
said. More than 250,000 gallons of the Cold War era chemical
weapon are stored at the depot about 30 miles north of Terre Haute in western
Indiana. Parsons in May began neutralizing the chemical using
8 percent of VX per volume and has since increased that loading percentage
to 16 percent. Brubaker said all demilitarization plants, like the
one at Newport, are designed with a central area designed to contain any
spill. He said an air monitor that measures the level of agent
in the room causes the feed of VX into the neutralization reactor to shut
off if the level rises above a preset concentration. Sumps in the room contain the spill. When it is cleaned
with sodium hydroxide and water, the mixture flows into the floor containment
sump and is pumped out into a spent decontamination tank to complete the
cleanup operation, Brubaker said.
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