Last sarin bomb burned at Umatilla

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Workers at Umatilla's chemical weapons incinerator have destroyed the last bomb armed with sarin nerve agent in the U.S. arsenal.

The 750-pound bomb, which held 220 pounds of the deadly nerve poison sarin, went through the furnace near Hermiston at about 6:30 a.m. Friday.

The United States, which is destroying its chemical weapons under international treaty, once had about 13,500 sarin-armed bombs. More than 2,400 were held at Umatilla Chemical Depot.

The incinerator is still being operated to destroy thousands of sarin-armed rockets and projectiles stored at the depot.

-- Andy Dworkin