AP New Jersey
Army says VX byproducts more flammable than believed
By Associated Press
June 30, 2005
NEWPORT, Ind. -- Laboratory tests on the byproduct of
VX nerve agent disposal show the substance is much more flammable than previously
believed, an Army official said.
The Army conducted tests on the byproduct, called hydrolysate, at the Newport
Chemical Depot while VX destruction was temporarily suspended.
The Army has proposed disposing of the hydrolysate at a DuPont facility on
the Delaware River, but New Jersey officials are seeking to block that from
happening.
The analysis showed the flash point ranged between 68 and 88 degrees, project
manager Col. Jesse L. Barber said. That temperature is far below what other
tests had shown, Barber said.
The flash point is the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible
liquid can be made to ignite. A flash point of less than 200 degrees Fahrenheit
is considered flammable, Barber said.
"These analyses show a difference from testing done at the laboratory and
the production scale," Barber said Wednesday. "I've got my entire engineering
staff looking at this."
The Army had previously compared hydrolysate to drain cleaner.
Barber said destruction of the nerve agent at the depot about 30 miles north
of Terre Haute would not resume until the analysis was completed.
Depot spokeswoman Terry Arthur said the review was no cause for alarm.
"It needs air for combustion," she said. "The pipes are closed, the tanks
are closed and no air is getting to the hydrolysate."
More than 250,000 gallons of the Cold War-era chemical weapon are stored
at the depot.
Destruction of the VX was suspended after a 30-gallon spill of a mixture
of VX, water and sodium hydroxide on June 10. Officials said pumps in the
room contain the spill.