This story was published Thu, Apr 22, 2004
UMATILLA -- The Army expects to have measures in place this summer to
prevent a repeat of a late 2003 incident in which a small amount of nerve
gas vapor escaped from a Umatilla Chemical Depot storage bunker. A whiff of GB nerve gas was discovered outside a bunker, dubbed "Igloo
1841," on Dec. 20, 2003, while workers dealt with two 750-pound gas bombs
that leaked some fluid inside the structure. That was the first time nerve gas vapor ever was detected outside of one
of the Umatilla depot storage bunkers, said Army spokeswoman Mary Binder. A tiny amount of GB vapor was detected about 25 feet from Igloo 1841 and
dissipated to an undetectable concentration within minutes. It also was the first time since the early 1990s that liquid nerve agent
had leaked to the floor of a bunker's interior out of a bomb, or shell or
rocket. Twice in 2003, workers found tiny amounts of gas agent fluids -- once
with GB nerve agent and once with mustard agent -- on the outside of their
containers, but the liquids had not dropped to the floors of their bunkers. Leaks are a problem that adds a sense of haste to the plan to incinerate
the poison gas agents. At Igloo 1841, the Army suspects the gas clung to a worker's protective
clothing, which carried the chemical outdoors, Binder said. The gas was
detected while the worker went through routine scrubbing and showering of
him in his protective gear outside of the bunker. The Army is looking at getting a tentlike vestibule, which would create
a chamber in front of a bunker's door. That chamber would help prevent vapors
inside the bunker from escaping when the door is open, and would be a spot
where people and equipment could be checked and decontaminated. Depot workers currently have an interim protective covering that they
now use on the doors until a vestibule is obtained. Workers have put the two leaking bombs in containers called "overpacks."
One overpacked bomb has been moved to another bunker holding other overpacked
munitions. The other overpacked bomb is still in Igloo 1841 as workers wait
for the gas vapors around it to dissipate enough for it to be safely moved. GB nerve gas, also called sarin, attacks and kills people chiefly through
inhalation. When the depot begins to incinerate gas agents later this year,
the GB gas will be the first to be burned.