Contractor investigating spill of VX byproduct

Parsons, the Army’s contractor destroying chemical agent VX, is investigating the cause of a spill of 300 gallons of hydrolysate Tuesday afternoon at the Newport Chemical Depot.

The hydrolysate, a caustic wastewater that is the byproduct of neutralized VX, leaked onto the floor in a contained area of the facility. No injuries were reported, the Chemical Materials Agency of the Army reported in a news release.

The spill occurred during a maintenance operation on a mixing reactor filled with hydrolysate, according to Lt. Col. Scott Kimmell, commander of the depot. The hydrolysate previously had been cleared of all detectable nerve agent, the release stated. The liquid flowed to a sump on the concrete floor of the reactor bay area. No danger existed to the workers or community, Kimmell reported.

Hundreds of tons of VX are being destroyed by a neutralization process that involves mixing the agent with sodium hydroxide and water. Neutralization began May 5.