Army officials said Thursday that destruction of the deadly VX nerve agent has been halted indefinitely because new tests show the byproduct is more flammable than previously thought.

The wastewater, with trace amounts of VX, has a flash point of 68 to 88 degrees. Earlier lab tests showed the minimum temperature for ignition was greater than 200 degrees.

Anything with a flash point of less than 200 degrees is classified as flammable.

Terry Arthur, a spokeswoman at the Newport (Ind.) Chemical Agent Disposal Facility near Terre Haute, said there still was little danger of the byproduct, called hydrolysate, of catching fire.

"It is already being held in containers designed to hold flammable liquid," Arthur said.

Operations at the facility have been halted since June 10 when 30 gallons of VX spilled while it was being transferred for destruction. Arthur said operations won't resume until engineers determine the discrepancy in the flash-point tests.

"We have committed a team of engineers to make a full analysis and determine our options so that we can reduce or eliminate the flammability factor," said Col. Jesse L. Barber, a project manager at the Army Chemical Materials Agency.

The Army is destroying more than 250,000 gallons of VX at Newport, where it has been stored for 35 years. A one-week break in operations had been scheduled around the same time the VX spilled.

VX is so potent that a single drop can kill a person in a matter of minutes.

Officials said the spill was caused by a deteriorated valve that failed. The Army is inspecting 50 other seals, valves and gaskets to see if they need to be replaced with a sturdier material.

Call Star reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418.