Army officials confirmed Sunday the second mustard agent leak at the Blue Grass Army Depot in less than a month.

The previous leak was confirmed July 19 and depot workers are still trying to locate the source of the leak, said Dick Sloan, information officer for Blue Grass Chemical Activity.

Therefore, two weapon storage igloos containing a total of 10,000 rounds currently are leaking chemical agents.

"There is no danger to the community and local and state emergency preparedness officials have been advised of the incident and will be kept informed as the leaks are isolated and rendered safe by overpacking them into a leak-proof container," Sloan said.

A small amount of mustard agent was detected over the weekend through the daily monitoring of the igloos.

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.

"It's been very hot and that, of course, affects the toxic chemical crew," Sloan said. "When they go into these igloos, they're totally encapsulated in a rubber suit. We only get about 10 minutes of work out of them until we have to take them back out."

On average, the depot has about two leaks a year, Sloan said. But, there already have been five leaking M55 rockets (containing GB nerve agent, or "sarin") reported in May and June and two mustard leaks in less than a month. Previous mustard leaks occurred in 2002 and 2003.

"We don't know why they're leaking," Sloan said. "It could be age, a chemical reaction, the heat, we just don't know. But, we are prepared to deal with it as we have in the past. It's time consuming, but we'll get it done."

The mustard agent was the first to be brought for storage at the depot in 1944. It was developed by the Germans to be used in World War I and is a blister agent designed to incapacitate rather than kill.

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