The Newport Chemical Depot continues to have one misstep after another in its effort to transform VX nerve gas. Most recently, the depot spilled hydrolysate, which the Army has compared to liquid drain cleaner. Wrong. The correct name is VX hydrolysate, because it still contains VX in trace amounts, as well a toxic substance called EA2192 and two other substances that can be converted back to nerve gas.

This is not Drano. This is a nasty, toxic substance in its own right. See http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/factsheets/vx_nerve_agent.htm. Someone and some procedure permitted this dangerous transformation of VX gas to continue, even though there were faulty gaskets.

Not long ago, the depot discovered that the VX agent itself has become much more flammable than had been realized. The depot did not know that VX had a flashpoint of only 60 degrees. Handling a fluid with such a low flashpoint takes special precautions to prevent an explosion.

Too many things are going wrong and only 2.5 percent of the VX has been transformed. The first person to get hurt will be a plant worker who will come into contact with this toxic substance, or there will be a tiny spark from static electricity, or the next piece of equipment will fail.

The depot should have a safety program far in excess of that used for commercial aircraft. How many will be hurt or killed before the remaining 97.5 percent of VX is transformed? Nothing at the depot will change until The Star gets deeply involved.