Posted on Fri, Jul. 21, 2006

Army set to begin burning VX nerve agent at Alabama incinerator

JAY REEVES

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Army said Friday it will begin the biggest part of work at its chemical weapons incinerator in Alabama as soon as this weekend when it starts destroying rockets filled with VX, the deadliest nerve agent.

The chemical is far more dangerous than sarin, which was destroyed in the first two years of work at the incinerator. Twice as much VX will be burned at the facility, located at Anniston Army Depot.

But both the military and state regulators said they aren't expecting problems given the lack of major difficulties while workers were incinerating sarin that was stored in dirt-covered bunkers at the depot.

A spokesman for the incinerator, Mike Abrams, said workers could begin chopping up and burning VX rockets as early as late Saturday, although most of the chemical agent will be drained from the weapons and stored for incineration later.

"As soon as administrative matters are taken care of we can do a last-minute assessment and proceed," said Abrams.

State regulators are reviewing the Army's plan for destroying the VX munitions, according to Clint Niemeyer of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

"It's nothing major, but we want to make sure ... that the technical specifications are correct," he said.

Niemeyer said no major problems were reported in the 19 months it took the Army to destroy 873,020 pounds of sarin that was stored at the depot, and the entire process was "much better than anticipated."

About twice as much VX will be incinerated, some 1.6 million pounds. The chemical is housed in thousands of rockets, artillery shells and mines left over from the Cold War.

VX is a liquid with the consistency of oil, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says any visible contact with the skin can kill.

Abrams said the Army expects the VX incineration to move faster than the sarin destruction because fewer equipment changes were needed and only a few of the stored munitions are known to be leaking.

While about 850 of the weapons filled with sarin were leaking - requiring time-consuming packing and handling procedures - the Army knows of only five VX weapons that are so-called "leakers."

Weapons loaded with mustard gas will be incinerated after the VX cache is destroyed, Abrams said, and all the munitions stored at the depot east of Birmingham are expected to be destroyed by late 2010.