OUR VIEW
Chemical weapons disposal:
Meeting treaty deadline more important than ever

The recent detection of a small trace of nerve agent vapors was detected in a storage igloo at the Blue Grass Army Depot is more of a reason than any that we must stay on schedule with the planning and construction ofthe facility to safely eradicate these weapons of mass destruction.

Although the community was under no apparent danger with this minute leak of sarin, it certainly makes us more aware ofwhy this project be given the highest priority by everyone. It must stay on track and never be derailed...ever again.

Recently, the Department of Defense released approximately $235 million in funds so that the project can continue to its safe completion. The funds released are only through 2006 and we still have a long road ahead. The DOD at this time also tabled the opeion of transportation of the chemical weapons to other sites for destruction. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we got this news. We could now get back on track, however, no one should be sitting on their laurels and think the game is over. It will be over when the weapons are finally neutralized; only then can we really breathe that sigh of relief we want to take.

As Craig Williams, director of CWWG, said at the May 4 reception for Sen. Mitch McConnell, "We thought we had this thing figured out and suddenly we got derailed." We must be realistic about the road ahead; we must be vigilant and diligent in our efforts because in the political arena the rules of the game can change overnight. We must stay on top of all information and keep everyone informed; we must never let our guard down.

There are many people to thank for the release of these funds. McConnell certainly deserves credit as much as anyone and we deeply appreciate his commitment and pasion for a safe and timely disposal. We appreciate his promise to help keep this project on track and do what is necessary to see that it does. However, as a community, it will take all of us to see that there are no further derailments and no breach of safety. It must be a team effort and we must be relentless.

Dick Sloan, Blue Grass Army Depot public affairs officer, said of the leak, "It's not a bad leaker and we've never had anyone killed at the depot."  That is why it's more important now than ever that we stay on track. When the fat lady finally sings, we hope that no life was foolishly lost as a result of delays and misguided political games.

"There is no danger to the community and local and state emergency preparedness officials have been advised of the incident," said BGAD Public Affairs Officer Dick Sloan.

This marks the first detection of GB nerve agent (or Sarin) at the depot in several years, he said. Mustard gas leaks occurred twice in both 2002 and 2003, and there has never been a leak of VX nerve agent, the third type of nerve agent stored at the depot.

GB nerve agent is a colorless and odorless liquid that evaporates as fast as water. It is stored inside M-55 rockets and is an inhalation hazard only, but was designed to be very deadly, Sloan said. The agent remains sealed in the igloo and has not leaked out into the atmosphere, he said.

"We have experience in cleaning this up," Sloan said. "This is not a major cause of concern. It's not a bad leaker and we've never had anyone killed at the depot. No one in the community has been affected."

The trace of agent detected Tuesday was so minute there is no way of determining an official amount.

"It's a little vapor in the atmosphere," Sloan said. "It's enough for us to be able to detect it and that much is too much."

The agent was detected by the process of a first-entry monitoring system. There are 49 igloos on the depot and 45 of them contain chemical weapons. Each of the 45 active igloos are monitored daily, and the atmosphere of each igloo is tested before workers enter. The air used in the test is then passed through a gas chromatograph that destroys the sample as it is analyzed, Sloan said.

In order to rid the igloo of the leaking agent, it will be flushed using a high-powered air filter. Once that has been done, workers will dress in protective gear and enter the igloo to make a visual inspection, Sloan said. If the leaking weapon(s) are not found right away, a much more detailed process goes into effect.

Each set of pallets will be covered, sealed-off and left for 24 hours. Then, workers will test the air in each pallet to help determine the leaking rocket.

"Once you get it narrowed down to one or two pallets, you can make more minute observations," Sloan said.

Tuesday's finding was a good test of equipment and communication and everything was executed flawlessly, said Carl Richards, director of the Madison County Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Center.

"The staff is well-trained and in a position to help the public," he said. "This is such a minute amount," he said. "We're talking about a few molecules. If it were a big event, people would need to know what zone they live in."

Richards was referring to the county zoning in relation to the Blue Grass Army Depot. Those within a six-mile radius are to take extra precaution, he said.

"If you don't know what zone you live in, we can't help you," Richards said.

If you live within six miles of the depot, a monitor and a shelter-in-place kit can be obtained by visiting the Madison County Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Center at 556 South Keeneland Drive.

Ronica Brandenburg can be reached at rbrandenburg@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.