Local News

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Foul weather delays weapons incineration

From staff reports

07-23-2006

Stormy weather delayed plans by the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility to destroy some VX chemical nerve agents Saturday.

Mike Abrams, a spokesman for the facility, said the incineration could begin this morning. It's the first active chemical destruction campaign since March when the last GB-filled munitions were eliminated.

Equipment was tested Friday, but Abrams said officials didn't want to begin the VX work during stormy weather.

On Thursday, obsolete rockets containing the nerve agent were moved from storage igloos.

The two-year campaign to destroy the munitions marks the second phase of the project, which will culminate with the campaign to destroy mustard nerve agents.

According to March figures, VX-filled rockets, artillery shells and land mines account for 46 percent of the remaining chemical weapons stockpile at the Anniston facility.

Mortar shells, artillery shells and ton-size containers of mustard blister agent account for the other 54 percent.

Weapons munitions systematically have been destroyed since 2003, and the original Anniston stockpile included more than 600,000, Abrams said.

So far 142,428 chemical munitions have been destroyed. All are scheduled to be destroyed by late 2010.