Workers begin VX destruction at Newport

Step one: Above and below, a worker drains VX from a 1-ton steel container using a specially designed sealed-glove box system. (Submitted photo)

Agent to be transferred to chemical reactor today

By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star

The first batch of deadly nerve agent VX will be fed into a reactor to be neutralized today.

The first of 1,269 tons of the substance was moved from its storage igloo at the Newport Chemical Depot into the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, where workers safely drained the VX from a 1-ton carbon steel container using a specially designed sealed glove box system.

The employees work for Parsons, the business contracted by the Army to dispose of the Cold War weapon.

Col. Jesse L. Barber, Chemical Materials Agency project manager of Alternative Approaches, said the operation began about 9 a.m. Thursday and the container was drained by about 1 p.m.

The VX was drained into a holding tank, Barber said. Today, 8 percent VX by weight will be transferred into a chemical reactor containing hot sodium hydroxide and water.

The neutralization process is expected to take about 21/2 hours.

"A sample of the byproduct VX hydrolysate generated during VX destruction will be tested in the on-site laboratory to confirm complete agent destruction - or 20 parts per billion, which is considered non-detectable and poses no danger to mankind," Barber said. "Once agent destruction is confirmed, the hydrolysate will be fed into a holding tank."

The Army plans to transfer the VX waste to a commercial hazardous wastewater treatment plant where the byproduct will be further treated before final disposal.

Container:1-ton steel container. (Submitted photo)

Until those transfer preparations are finalized, the hydrolysate will be pumped out of the holding tank and stored in steel storage containers specifically designed for safe storage and transport of the caustic waste. The cylindrical containers are mounted within a protective steel framework, Barber said.

Barber said the 1-ton VX container was immediately decontaminated after it was emptied. It was washed twice with a caustic to remove any residual VX and rinsed with water, he said.

After being cleansed, the container is hot-air dried so it can be removed for salvage purposes.

A drop of VX the size of a BB can be lethal, the Army has said.

The main objective throughout the process is safety, Barber said.

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

Story created May 06, 2005 - 09:25:13 CDT.