KARK-TV (Arkansas)
June 30, 2003

Test Burns Begin At PB Arsenal

Story by The Associated Press Posted 6/30/2003 9:02:40 AM

It will be a few days before engineers will know how the incinerator at the Pine Bluff Arsenal is performing.

Over the weekend, technicians ran test burns of chemicals in the incinerator that is expected to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons.

Officials say the test chemicals are harder to destroy than the actual chemical weapons, and should prove that the incinerator works safely.

Military officials want to make sure the incinerator can destroy over 99.99 percent of the chemicals before burning real weapons. Under an international treaty, all of the nation's chemical weapons are to be destroyed by 2010.

The Pine Bluff Arsenal stores 12 percent of the nation's stockpile of weapons, including VX nerve gas and mustard gas.

Watch News 4 Arkansas for more on this story!