Environmental group gives recommendations for VX

By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star

April 1, 2004

A national environmental group based in Kentucky has given four recommendations to the Army about the decision-making process for treatment of VX hydrolysate and its subsequent safe disposal.

The Chemical Weapons Working Group is an organization whose mission is to ensure the safe and expeditious disposal of the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons.

The group is concerned about off-site treatment of VX hydrolysate and the shipment of this caustic toxic hazardous waste over the highways and through several states.

"Ever since the idea of off-site shipment of the VX hydrolysate was first put forward, the CWWG has urged the Army to refrain from the ill-fated 'Decide, Announce, Defend' approach instead of examining a range of treatment options and working with the public to identify the most acceptable path," Craig Williams, spokesman for the organization, wrote in a March 18 missive to Kevin Flamm, program manager for the Army's Office for the Elimination of Chemical Weapons.

Williams said in December that more than 130 citizens living near the Newport Chemical Depot signed letters giving the Army clear guidance on the issue of secondary waste disposal, which highlighted the need for public involvement and suggested serious study of on-site treatment and consideration of alternative options and the prioritization of safety over schedule and cost.

Since then, he said citizens and a growing number of elected officials in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have strongly objected to commercial treatment of the hydrolysate in New Jersey and there is pending legislation banning the shipment of the VX hydrolysate to New Jersey, Williams said.

The four recommendations reflect the CWWG's desire to carry out safe disposal of chemical weapons agents while allowing public participation in the decision-making processes. Their adoption might prevent unnecessary delays in the critical first-step VX neutralization process in Newport and instill a precautionary approach regarding health and environmental impacts, Williams said in the letter.

The recommendations to the Army Alternative Technology and Approaches project:

-- Develop a broader set of options for treatment of VX hydrolysate, including the use of tank farms and on-site non-incineration treatment in Newport, as was originally planned and supported by Indiana local citizens, state regulators and elected officials.

-- Provide for full technical review capability from experts selected with input from environmental leaders in any community where commercial treatment may be considered before contracts are made.

-- Convene an ad hoc dialogue on secondary waste treatment, fashioned after the ACWA model or the Non-Stockpile Core Group, as a means to establish open, transparent information exchange and credible communication with stakeholders.

-- Re-shape the current public outreach program to one centered in public involvement in technology and transportation review, particularly if commercial treatment is to remain an option."

Williams said without incorporating such elements into the program, the CWWG believes the "Army's credibility among communities will continue to erode, taxpayers' dollars will be wasted and the safety, cost and schedule advances made elsewhere within the Chemical Materials Agency will be compromised."

Patricia Pastore can be reached at (812)231-4271 or pat.pastore@tribstar.com

-- Nerve agent VX is a deadly Cold War chemical weapon. An amount of VX the size of a BB can be lethal.

-- About 1,269 tons of the nerve agent is stockpiled at the Newport Chemical Depot, about 30 miles north of Terre Haute.

-- VX is a member of the organo-phosphate family, similar to present-day pesticides. It is a clear, odorless and tasteless straw-colored liquid that is heavier than water and evaporates 2,000 times more slowly.

VX is highly toxic in its liquid, aerosol and vapor forms. It is most hazardous when absorbed through the skin. As a vapor or aerosol, it can be absorbed through the lungs. It also can be absorbed through the digestive system if eaten or swallowed.

-- VX is a rapid-acting, lethal nerve agent that affects the nervous system by interfering with the signals sent from the brain to the vital organs and other parts of the body.

-- VX is stored in cylindrical carbon steel containers. The average weight of the VX nerve agent in the container is 1,500 pounds. Each container has two valves used for filling or draining the container.

-- The nerve agent has been safely stockpiled at the Newport facility since 1968, when production ceased.