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Re: NRC Urges Better Monitoring Of Stored Arms



I'm acronym challenged, but, in this case, I think that "NRC" means

"National Research Council," NOT "Nuclear Regulatory Commission."



The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.



Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com





Gerry Blackwood wrote:



> 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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