NRC Urges Better Monitoring Of Stored Arms

["Gerry Blackwood" <gpblackwood@justice.com>]

NRC Urges Better Monitoring Of Stored Arms



http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8207/8207notw9.html





LOIS EMBER



The Army has been monitoring its aging stockpile of chemical

weapons for leaks for 30 years, yet a recent study by the

National Research Council urges improvements to protect the

environment, workers, and adjacent communities. More than 3

million sarin-, VX-, and mustard gas-filled weapons are stored at

eight U.S. sites and are being or will be destroyed.



Three decades of monitoring has resulted in a massive amount of

data, but the Army has mismanaged much of the collected

information, the NRC committee finds. Scarce or missing is

information on the age of leaking munitions and the temperature

at which the weapons are stored. Leaks may increase with

temperature and with aging, the committee warns. It recommends

that the Army "improve its handling of the data and analyze it

for trends in leak developments and other anomalies."



The Army's monitoring program has focused on sarin-filled weapons

that are prone to leak. But the NRC committee cites its concern

for the Army's less vigilant efforts in monitoring leaks of

mustard gas- and VX-filled munitions. Levels of stabilizers in VX

weapons may be dropping to very low levels, leading to increased

leakage rates.



Another hazard the committee cites is the buildup of pressurized

hydrogen in weapons as mustard gas degrades. It calls on the Army

to take steps to minimize this risk.



Risk from ongoing degradation of stored weapons is minor now, but

degradation will only continue, cautions committee Chairman Peter

B. Lederman. So, the retired New Jersey Institute of Technology

professor says, swiftly destroying the weapons "is ultimately the

only effective way to reduce risks to the public."

 



 



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