Letters to the editor: The Pentagon's response on dumping

For a half century, the United States maintained a stockpile of chemical agents and munitions for possible use in wartime. The recent Daily Press series "Special report: The deadliness below" did not emphasize that today the U.S. Army is eliminating this arsenal in safe and environmentally responsible ways.

Up until the late 1960s, chemical agents and munitions routinely were disposed of using methods dating back to World War I - such as open-pit burning, land burial or ocean dumping. Most sea-disposal operations took place in very deep water - typically over 600 feet deep and many times thousands of feet deep. The vast majority of these deep-ocean sites are inaccessible. Modern technologies are helping now to neutralize and dispose of these munitions much more safely as well.

The protection of human health and the environment is critical, and the Army will continue to work in partnership with other government agencies to identify and monitor old disposal sites, address each discovery in a deliberative manner and implement appropriate response actions.

Paul Boyce
U.S. Army Public Affairs
The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.