Incinerator destroys almost 700 sarin-filled projectiles during December

By Rob Jordan
Star Staff Writer
01-05-2005

Workers at Anniston’s chemical weapons incinerator have destroyed almost 700 sarin-filled projectiles since work began on the heavy-gauge tank and howitzer rounds in early December, the Army said Tuesday. Workers re-tooled the plant to handle projectiles after completing destruction of sarin-filled rockets in October. The projectiles, which hold anywhere from under two pounds to almost 15 pounds each of deadly nerve agent, have been in storage since the 1960s. Tim Garrett, the Army’s project site manager, has said he expects the plant will destroy all of the stockpile’s sarin-filled projectiles by November. Then the plant will move to processing VX-filled rockets. Since it fired up in August 2003, the incinerator also has destroyed 42,738 rockets and approximately 47,815 gallons (435,121 pounds) of liquid sarin – about 50 percent of the stockpile’s sarin and about 9 percent of all agent in the stockpile, according to the Army. Officials estimate it will take until 2010 to destroy the 4 million pounds of sarin, VX and blister agent that remain in the Anniston Chemical Activity's stockpile.

About Rob Jordan

Rob Jordan covers criminal justice issues for The Star.