PENNSVILLE TWP. -- DuPont says it will only treat VX byproduct here if it can do so safely, following reports of a months-long delay in Army plans to neutralize the nerve agent because of operational and safety concerns.
"Safety is first and foremost for DuPont," said company Spokesman Anthony R. Farina. "We will only be involved in this project if it can be done safely and effectively."
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Currently, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Environmental Protection Agency are reviewing the Army's plans to neutralize the deadly nerve agent and if DuPont Chambers Works here can safely treat and dispose of the resulting byproduct.
"We are in agreement that they should take place," said Farina.
There is no timeline for the completion of those assessments.
News broke earlier this week that a test run of the Army's VX neutralization process had raised 190 operation and safety issues, prompting officials to push the project's start date to between October and December. The Army originally hoped it could begin neutralizing more than 1,000 tons of VX at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana this summer.
The delay has not affected DuPont's belief in its ability to handle the project.
"We remain confident that we can handle it in a way that is safe for the environment and the community," said Farina.
DuPont produced a 350-page technical assessment earlier this year that determined the facility could safely undertake the project, according to Farina.