Evaluation of Chemical Events at Army Chemical Agent Disposal Facilities (2002) / Chapter Skim
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1. The Chemical Demilitarization Challenge
1. The Chemical Demilitarization Challenge
Pages 7-16
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From page 7... ...
To put this challenge in context the Committee on Evaluation of Chemical Events at Army Chemical Agent Disposal Facilities describes technology for the chemical stockpile's disposal, defines and describes chemical events, discusses the significance of risk assessment to the chemical weapons disposal process, and categorizes institutional issues associated with chemical demilitarization. STOCKPILE CONTENT, DISPOSAL DEADLINE, AND DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGY The chemical weapons stockpile contains two types of chemical agents: the cholinesterase-inhibiting nerve agents (GB and VX)
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The disposal of stockpiled chemical weapons is a major undertaking. In 1990, the stockpile included 31,496 tons of chemical agents.
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storage sites, the Army's local depot commander has the responsibility to decide whether an upset or incident within the storage yard or at the associated chemical demilitarization facility is a chemical event. Examples 1 through 6 above seem to imply that, in most cases, chemical events are those in which chemical agent ends up where it should not be, i.e., in the ambient atmosphere or under the control of an unauthorized individual.
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From page 10... ...
The most serious incidents, including all those known to have discharged a significant amount of agent outside of engineering control, were designated as chemical events and reported as required by Army Regulation 50-6. According to the SBCCOM statistics on stockpile leakage at Johnston Island, 13 incidents involving leaking munitions were reported from 1990 through 2000.
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From page 11... ...
While chemical demilitarization operations at JACADS and TOCDF have released small amounts of chemical agent into the environment, these releases are negligible compared with releases to the environment from associated chemical weapons storage sites. The rate of agent leaks and releases does decrease significantly as the stockpile is processed.
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From page 12... ...
Putting It All Together From this brief introduction, it is clear that the QRA, chemical agent monitoring, and event investigation are the key tools for addressing the safety issues associated with chemical events. In its published QRA the Army performed a detailed assessment of the risk of public fatalities and cancers associated both with the stockpile storage sites and chemical weapons processing activities at Tooele (U.S.
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From page 13... ...
. Chapter 2, the committee examines the more significant of the chemical events at JACADS and TOCDF to determine their characteristics with respect to facility performance and human performance.
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. Monitoring for airborne agent is a major activity at each chemical agent disposal facility.
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This possibility has raised citizen concern about the safety of Army stockpile storage and chemical demilitarization operations designed to meet the current exposure limits. Chemical events have raised questions about the safety of the stockpile storage and the demilitarization process.
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Prudent preparations to minimize the occurrence and impact of future chemical events at incineration system chemical demilitarization facilities are discussed in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 contains focused findings and recommendations drawn from material presented in the first five chapters.
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