No leak discovered at Umatilla

The Associated Press
December 13, 2003

HERMISTON — A reading of sarin vapor outside an igloo at the Umatilla Chemical Depot earlier this week might have come off inspectors who had just exited the igloo, depot officials think.

The low reading of GB Sarin chemical agent was detected outside an igloo where 500-pound bombs are stored. Subsequent tests next to and farther from the igloo detected nothing, depot spokeswoman Mary Binder said.

No one was injured or exposed during Monday’s incident, depot officials said.

Once the vapor was detected, all operations were halted and about 500 workers on the depot were ordered to put on their gas masks and shelter in place.

About 25 minutes later, employees were given the all clear to remove masks and return to work.

It’s likely the reading came off the inspectors rather than leaked out of the igloo because there have been no previous incidents of vapor leaking from igloos, Binder said.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time we’ve detected vapors outside the structure,” Binder said.

Chemical weapons detected to be leaking vapor are not unusual at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. Many of the weapons are 60 years old and the munitions are deteriorating.

But all the weapons are housed in protective bunkers that are monitored regularly, and any leaks have been contained in the igloos. The Umatilla Chemical Depot stores about 12 percent of the nation’s chemical weapons supply.