INCINERATION SET FOR FEBRUARY

By Amy Riggin/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

Fourth in a series.

In February, the Pine Bluff Arsenal is expected to begin destruction of the nation's second largest chemical agent stockpile -- representing 12 percent of the nation's total stockpile.

The incineration of weapons was selected as the No. 7 local news story of the year by the newsroom staff of The Commercial.

The Arsenal stores blister agent and mustard gas and the nerve agents VX and sarin. It is one of eight sites where chemical weapons elimination has been set in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty.

Washington Demilitarization Co. -- a wholly-owned subsidiary of Washington Group International, an engineering and construction firm -- has more than 32 years of experience with the U.S. chemical weapons elimination program and is the prime contractor at the Pine Bluff facility. The company has been contracted by the Army to build the disposal facility, test it, operate it and decommission it.

About 130 people toured the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in September, taking a final look before operations begin. It was the third public tour of the facility, according to an Arsenal spokeswoman.

The facility cost $600 million to build, with one-third of that amount spent on a pollution abatement system. Construction began in January 1999 and was completed in November 2002. The facility's site covers 26 acres.

During trial burns, the liquid incinerator must destroy at least 99.9999 percent of the chemical agent to ensure the safety of workers, the community and environment.

Chemical agents are stored in 32 on-site containers that are set to be destroyed. The stockpile consists of rockets, land mines and ton containers.

An exercise in early October marked the first time that base residents, contractors and employees have been involved in an Arsenal-wide evacuation.

As part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, officials announced last month that sirens, tone alert radios and roadside signs were being updated to enhance the ability to notify residents and handle evacuations in case of an emergency.

On May 12, an Arsenal worker and two paramedics were treated at a local hospital after reacting to Army gear from Kuwait.

The employee was unloading chemical defense equipment when he developed a rash and severe itching and had difficulty breathing. An ambulance was called and both crew members began suffering similar symptoms while en route to Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

All three were decontaminated at the hospital and treated in the emergency room.

Arsenal officials said the incident was in no way related to chemical weapons stored there. After hundreds of samples were taken and came back negative, officials still didn't know the cause of the 39-year-old employee's apparent allergic reaction.