Chemical Weapons Incineration: Haz Waste Disposal or Dispersal?
(The following is excerpted from the July 1998 issue of "Common Sense," the newsletter of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, published by the Kentucky Environmental Foundation.)
In the 1970s, the Army conducted extensive tests on neutralization of chemical agent stored at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado. At that time, neutralization was thought to be a potential disposal solution to the country's stockpile of nerve and mustard agents. However, the Army says that plans were scrapped because the neutralization process created a large amount of hazardous waste. Incineration, by comparison, was thought to produce much less waste, and therefore be a more efficient disposal method.
Over the years, however, millions of pounds of waste have been generated from the JACADS incinerator in the Pacific and the TOCDF incinerator in Utah -- over 45 million from TOCDF alone after just a year and a half of operations. This translates into 15 pounds of waste generated for every pound of chemical agent destroyed. The waste, including decontamination solutions, contaminated brine, ash and dunnage is being transported all across the country (see map below) to be burned, landfilled, or otherwise disposed of. The incineration process has resulted not in the complete disposal of chemical weapons, but the dispersalof process wastes.
Many of these facilities, such as those in southern California, have been polluting nearby communities with other toxic emissions for years. Jane Williams, Director of California Communities Against Toxics, said "Chemical weapons incinerators were supposed to solve the problems of chemical weapons disposal, instead they have created entirely new waste streams that are being dumped in communities of color all across America. This is unconscionable!"
Laws of nature show that you can't make something into nothing. But the solutions to our country's military and industrial waste problems are to invest in clean, contained technologies which destroy toxic materials as completely as possible. If you would like additional information on off-site waste shipments, or if you have information to share about the waste recipients, please contact the CWWG at (606) 986-0868.
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