Report for Congress: Review of the U.S. Army Proposal for Off-Site Treatment and Disposal of Caustic VX Hydrolysate From the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility
April 6, 2005
Background
The U.S. Army is proposing a plan for destroying their stockpile of VX,* a nerve agent developed for use in chemical warfare. The proposed plan is a two-step process involving the treatment, transport, and disposal of the VX and its byproducts.
The stockpile
(1,269 tons in 1,690 containers) is currently being stored at the Newport Chemical
Agent Disposal Facility in
The second
step is to transport the CVXH to another location, the DuPont Secure Environmental
Treatment Chamber Works Facility in Deepwater,
The Army’s
proposal has raised concerns about the possible effects on public health and the
environment. Several members of Congress asked the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the Army’s proposal. CDC, in turn, asked the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to review the ecologic risks associated with disposal of the treated
CVXH in the
Critical Issues of Concern
CDC identified several critical issues that need to be addressed. Following are the concerns and a summary of CDC’s evaluation.
The potential health hazards associated
with the waste (CVXH) produced at the
The potential human health hazards of the untreated CVXH waste are mostly associated with its highly corrosive and caustic properties. Although negligible levels of VX and EA 2192 (a degradation product with nerve-agent properties) may be present, these small amounts are not considered potential hazards to human health. The toxicity of CVXH does not rule out handling and transport if proper precautions are taken (for example, using personal protective equipment).
The ability of a) the
The
CVXH produced
with DIC-stabilized VX at the 8% agent loading level should meet the Army’s clearance
criteria for VX and EA 2192, and it can be treated at DuPont. The term “loading”
refers to the initial percentage of VX added to the
Loadings greater than 8% of DIC-stabilized VX or any treatment of VX stabilized with DCC are not recommended until treatment effectiveness is demonstrated and confirmed. Consequently, less than one half of the Newport VX stockpile currently can be processed to meet clearance criteria.
The
potential risks associated with transporting the CVXH from
The proposed transportation plan meets Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, and precautions in the proposed plan will adequately protect the public and personnel. DOT assisted in the transportation review.
The potential ecologic impact associated
with disposal of the DuPont-treated waste material into the
EPA does not have
enough information to say whether the ecologic risk from the discharge of treated
CVXH into the
Conclusions
CDC found that the Army’s proposal
sufficiently addressed critical issues in the areas of potential human toxicity,
transport, and treatment of CVXH. EPA concluded that the information about the ecologic
risk associated with discharging the treated CVXH into the
Therefore, CDC cannot recommend proceeding with the treatment and disposal at the DuPont facility until EPA’s noted deficiencies are addressed.
* VX: agent O-ethyl S-[2- (diisopropylamino) ethyl] methyl phosphonothioate.