United States:  Army Might Miss October Starting Date for Newport VX Disposal

Lingering technical difficulties in the neutralization method to be used to dispose of stockpiles of VX stored at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana could delay the target October start date of the disposal effort, the Terra Haute Tribune-Star reported yesterday (see GSN, July 2).

The U.S. Army has still not met a 20-parts-VX-per-billion requirement when conducting neutralization tests, said Jeff Brubaker, project manager at the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.  The 20-parts-per-billion standard refers to the amount of VX left in the byproduct formed by neutralization, according to the Tribune-Star. 

Five scientific organizations are urging Parsons Inc., the contractor hired to construct and operate the Newport neutralization facility, to determine how to reduce the amount of VX left behind in the byproduct — called hydrolysate — to meet the Army standard, Brubaker said.  Testing is being conducted to determine the best neutralization method, with results expected by the end of the month, he said.

Another concern is that the Army and Parsons have not developed contingency plans in the event the neutralization byproduct cannot be shipped off site for final disposal, according to the Tribune-Star.  The byproduct is slated to be shipped to a commercial hazardous waste facility in Dayton, Ohio, but area residents are working to block the shipments.  Parson officials are considering whether to build an on-site storage facility at the Newport depot in case the byproduct cannot be shipped to the Dayton facility.

If the remaining challenges cannot be solved, the October starting date for the VX disposal effort could be delayed, said Army spokeswoman Terry Arthur.

“If everything goes exactly right, October is still a good date,” Arthur said.  “Parsons and the Army are conducting continuous, around-the-clock efforts to stay on schedule,” she said (Patricia Pastore, Terra Haute Tribune-Star, July 15).

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