East Oregonian
May 2, 2002

Mustard gas moved to igloos at Depot

By HEIDI SODERSTROM
of the East Oregonian

HERMISTON -- Ton containers of mustard agent stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot were moved recently from a wooden storage shed to a cement and metal bunker called an igloo for security reasons, said Mary Binder, public information officer for the Depot.

"This was an initiative by the Army after Sept. 11. We took a look at security measures at the Depot, and the Department of Defense made the decision to move the containers from the shed in K-Block (where the chemical stockpile is stored) into an igloo in another area," Binder said.

The decision to move the containers was announced last fall.

"We needed to enhance security in the area where we wanted to move the ton containers, which we did that earlier in the year and moved the containers in March," Binder said.
The Umatilla Chemical Depot has stored the 2,635 containers, which look similar to chlorine tanks and hold no explosives, in the wooden shed since 1979, Binder said. The Army first stored the containers out in the open when they arrived in the 1960s, a standard storage practice at the time, she said.

They were moved into the wood shed later for better security.

"Some people in this area describe that shed as a potato shed," she said. "So it certainly provided for increased security and safety, but in light of Sept. 11, moving those containers into igloos will enhance safety and security even more."

The containers were moved without incident, she said.

Before workers moved the containers, the air inside the shed was monitored without opening the doors. In the control room, operators went through a safety checklist, which included the monitoring, and went through worst-case scenarios, she said.
Binder said moving the stuff in March helped because the cool weather was ideal. Mustard solidifies at around 57 degrees.

"So the mustard is pretty solid, which reduces a likelihood of a leak or a vapor release," she said.

Workers had to remove all of their civilian clothes and put on Army-issued coveralls,
gloves and boots, and hook a protective mask to their waist before the shed door was even opened.

She said the basic equipment used to move the containers was a forklift with a special bar to lift up the containers and put them a flatbed truck.