News

Transfer of nerve agent successful at depot

 By Ryan Garrett/Register News Writer 

The transfer of approximately 100 gallons of nerve agent over the weekend at the Blue Grass Army Depot was completed without incident, the Blue Grass Chemical Activity announced Tuesday.

The operation was "the most significant mission the chemical activity has carried out in 20 years," said Lt. Col. George Shuplinkov, commander of the activity, the agency in charge of storing and monitoring weapons at the depot.

The mixture of Sarin (GB) nerve agent and decontaminant was transferred from an eroding bulk container to two new containers over three days, significantly reducing the mixture's threat to workers and the community, Shuplinkov said.

"We did not rush or compromise safety by any means," he said.

Workers at the activity discovered that the original container was eroding during a scheduled plug replacement operation in mid-November. The operation was halted and the container sealed and placed back into an igloo, where it was monitored daily to ensure no agent vapor escaped, Shuplinkov said.

"At that point, I was very uncomfortable leaving it in the igloo," he said.
After going through the chain of command to get the container dealt with as soon as possible, Shuplinkov determined the best method was to transfer the mixture to a new container.

To complete the transfer, the activity brought in a 12-man team from the 22nd Chemical Battalion at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, which has one of the country's largest stockpiles of chemical-filled rockets, bombs and warheads.

The team worked with activity personnel over the holidays preparing for the operation, before conducting the transfer under this weekend's agreeable weather conditions.

"They are the absolute best unit that does this kind of operation in the whole world," Shuplinkov said. "When we saw the good weather this weekend, I said, 'OK, that's it. Here's our window of opportunity.'"

The operation was conducted with tight engineering controls to ensure safety, Shuplinkov said.
The three containers were housed in glove boxes that were filtered and under negative pressure. All equipment and personnel were housed in a vapor containment shelter that was also filtered under negative pressure, Shuplinkov said.

There was no release of toxic material into the outside atmosphere, Shuplinkov said, but the state Environmental Protection Office and the Madison County Emergency Management Agency had observers at the activity's Emergency Operations Center as a safety precaution.

"It's a peak of what's to come in the future when we start demilitarization," he said.
Although the agencies often communicate, most practice scenarios in which they are involved are based on accidents, rather than planned procedures, Shuplinkov said.

"This was not an accident," he said. "It was a deliberate task. When we hit demilitarization, those are going to be planned movements."

The two new containers, which are now stored in an igloo with the original container, are designed to last through demilitarization, Shuplinkov said.

"I think the community can sleep well for awhile," he said.