Chemical Weapons Working Group: Kalama

The Army's Pacific chem weapons incinerator entering "closure" phase

jiclosure.html

Links to More Information on Kalama Atoll, the Pacific

PR--Sept. 21, 2000 Citizens Say Army Plans for Closure of Its Pacific Chem Weapons Incinrator Put Workers, Future Island Residents at Risk
PR--Jan. 27, 1995 Army Proposal to Extend Life of JACADS Undermines Credibility of CW Disposal Program

The Army's Pacific chem weapons
incinerator entering "closure" phase

(Excerpted from May 2000 issue of CWWG's newsletter "Common Sense")

The Army's Pacific chemical weapons incinerator, located on Kalama Island (Johnston Atoll) may soon be entering its "closure" phase. The Army and contractor Raytheon have operated the facility since 1989, and in 1998 were awarded another 10-year permit by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete disposal of chemical weapons and other related activities on the Island.

The Army still has a lot of work to do before submitting a final Closure Plan to the Region 9 EPA, including completing a human health and ecological risk assessment; determining which analytical methods to use to check for contamination in waste by-products; and getting approval from EPA on a carbon filter system, which has not yet proven to be effective. Meanwhile, the incineration of chemical weapons continues and troubling events also continue.

On January 15, 2000 a chemical agent monitor in a trailer -- used by international chemical weapons treaty inspectors -- read positive for nerve agent VX contamination. The Army's best guess as to the source of the contamination is that a component of the chemical agent monitor was accidentally replaced with a contaminated part.
On February 14, 2000 chemical agent monitors on the perimeter of the incinerator read a small amount of VX nerve agent. However, due to worker error in a further analytical process, the Army says the chemical agent reading was inconclusive.
On April 4, 2000 two plant employees, after working with materials that read extremely high for VX contamination, exited the contaminated area, removed their protective clothing and, ignoring regulations, took the contaminated clothing to an unprotected room before the clothing was cleared.

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