Date: 2005-07-20
Breaking News
Kentucky
weapons dump safety investigated
RICHMOND, Ky., July 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Department
officials met Wednesday near a weapons dump with Richmond, Ky., community
groups alarmed by fires at similar dumps in other states.
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Toxins found in California creek (July 12, 2005) -- A home builder in West Hills, near Los Angeles, reportedly
found a high level of a chemical near a creek that drains from the Santa
Susana Field ... > full story
VX destruction delayed after tests
(July 1, 2005)
-- The destruction of some 250,000 gallons of the
nerve agent VX at Newport, Ind., has been delayed indefinitely because tests
show a byproduct is ... > full story
More leaking rockets found at Ky. base
(June 16, 2005)
-- Two more rockets stored at a Kentucky Army depot
have been discovered to be leaking the deadly nerve gas sarin. Army officials
say the leaks at the ... > full story
Chemical plant security scrutinized
(June 15, 2005)
-- The Bush administration is pushing heightened
security at chemical plants that could be targets for terrorist attacks. Department
of Homeland ... > full story
Japan to clean up chemical arms in China
(June 6, 2005)
-- Japan will spend $1.9 billion to build a chemical
weapons disposal complex in China to process Japanese weapons buried since
World War II. Japan ... > full story
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Officials were considering whether to separate potentially unstable rockets
from warheads containing the nerve gas sarin or toxic chemical VX at the Blue
Grass Army Depot, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
Blue Grass stores 523 tons of chemical weapons, some dating from World
War II. That includes 77,000 M55 rockets with chemical warheads dating back
to the 1960s.
The Defense Department wants to make sure the rocket propellant is safe,
given five recent fires at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in
Oregon and Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Arkansas.
The fires occurred while workers were cutting up the rockets to dispose
of them.
Some residents near Kentucky's Blue Grass facility urged the military to
leave the rockets alone until it is ready to destroy them.
"The less handling, the safer it is," said restaurant owner Tom Thilman,
whose home is near the depot fence.
