By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star

Easy does it: Personnel at Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility transport a VX canister to the neutralization building. (Submitted photo)

By year's end, the Army has safely destroyed 89,982 pounds of the deadly nerve agent VX using neutralization technology.

This is a banner year for the Newport Chemical Depot, where VX was destroyed in a pilot plant, for the first time, using this alternative technology that neutralizes the Cold War chemical weapon by mixing it with sodium hydroxide and water.

Newport manufactured all the chemical agent for the U.S. defense stockpile between 1962 and 1968.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon issued a unilateral decree, halting production and transportation of chemical weapons, including VX. The last two lots of VX produced at Newport have been stored at that site and protected under the Army's supervision since then, the Army has said.

After awarding a contract in 1999 to Parsons Corp. of Pasadena, Calif., to design, construct and operate the Newport Chemical Destruction Facility, destruction of VX finally is under way.

Throughout the manufacturing years, at least 25 incidents were logged of employees who were exposed to VX. None of the incidents was fatal, and there were no lasting health problems noted, Terry Arthur, Army spokeswoman, has said.

Beginning in January, Jeff Brubaker, Army site project manager, said he expects VX neutralization to proceed to full operations, which means four one-ton containers of the nerve agent will be destroyed during each 24-hour period.

When neutralization began May 5, there were 1,269 ton containers stored in igloos, a partially underground safe containment area. Several incidents in the following months interrupted the neutralization process, but all were resolved and the neutralization continued.

In June, a diaphragm valve with polymer material failed, causing 30 gallons of VX to leak into a facility containment area. This problem was resolved by replacing the original style of valve with metal ball valves, Arthur said. She said 31 batches have since been processed with no incidents.

Also, flashpoint results from the initial batches were lower than anticipated, and this was resolved by venting the reactor, thereby preventing volatiles from condensing during cooldown, Arthur said. She said all batches have been non-flammable since the change was incorporated.

In October, 500 gallons of VX hydrolysate, the product of neutralization, leaked into a containment facility because a polymer gasket failed. All similar gaskets in the process stream were replaced with stainless/Teflon gaskets. The process is continuing without incident, Arthur said.

The destruction facility is performing as expected and the equipment has responded as designed, Brubaker said at a Citizens Advisory Commission meeting earlier. He said plant personnel responded quickly using their procedures to ensure the situation was controlled.

Investigations identified the root cause of every incident and corrective actions were taken, Arthur said.

She said lessons learned are available for consideration by future neutralization facilities. Neutralization facilities are expected to be constructed at Lexington/Blue Grass in Kentucky, and at Pueblo, Colo., according to an Army Web site.

As of Wednesday, 64 ton containers of VX have been destroyed.

No decision has been made about how the more than 2 million gallons of VX hydrolysate will be further treated and disposed, said Col. Jesse Barber, Chemical Materials Agency project manager of alternative approaches.

Newport is scheduled for closure after the stockpile is eliminated, the Army has said.

“Disposition of the 7,900-acre facility will be determined by the Army, in coordination with the federal, state and local reuse authorities,” Arthur said.

The Vermillion County Economic Development Council has been working for about 10 years toward acquiring the depot. The property could be used in many ways, including for an industrial park, a nature preserve, a wildlife and game preserve and more.

The Army considers this a successful year, with no serious problems resulting from neutralization start-up.

“We see this year a a tremendous success,” said Lt. Col. Scott Kimmell, depot commander.

“With the start of nerve agent destruction operations and progress on the dismantling of the former VX production facility, the Newport team made great strides toward fulfilling our treaty goals and reducing the risk to the community,” he said. “And we did it while maintaining our primary focus, which is protecting the safety of our workers, the public and the environment.”

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

Story created Dec 27, 2005 11:02:58 CDT.