Ky. weapons depot confirms mustard gas leak

[unhappycamper]

Source: Army Times / Associated Press

Ky. weapons depot confirms mustard gas leak
By Jeffrey McMurray - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 30, 2008 5:28:24 EDT

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The first mustard gas leak in three years was confirmed Tuesday at a chemical weapons stockpile in Kentucky, less than a month after workers there found a leak inside a separate storage igloo housing a deadly nerve agent.

But officials said the latest leak poses no danger to the community nor the surrounding atmosphere.

Richard Sloan, public affairs officer for the chemical storage site at Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, said trace amounts of mustard gas vapor were detected during a routine inspection of a storage area this week. Army workers won’t know whether there is also a liquid leak until a closer inspection inside the igloo.

Because the igloo is full of artillery weapons containing mustard agent, the biggest chore in cleanup efforts is to pinpoint which one is leaking, he said.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_mustardgasleak_072908/

---

And the good news is that the stockpile will be eradicated in 2017 if the government ponies up the bucks.

[flashl]

1. Of course, it posed no danger, now, move along. nt

:sarcasm:

[The Croquist]

7. That crap is still being found in Europe today

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2007/August/AbandonedChemical.htm

Accidental discoveries occur all over the world, where tons of non-stockpile agents are hidden. An average of 500 chemical weapons are found every year in Belgium, Bennett said.

Most if not all of that is from WWI. Very little was used in WWII.

[flashl]

8. Read, weep, laugh, or cry

Chemical Weapon Destruction News

[Xipe Totec]

2. Strange, I don't remember hearing about the other leak 3 years ago...

[Ian David]

3. See also: Sarin Nerve Gas Leak at Blue Grass Army Depot, Richmond, KY (No Injuries)

Sarin Nerve Gas Leak at Blue Grass Army Depot, Richmond, KY (No Injuries)
Topic started by IanDB1 on Jul-13-08 04:59 PM (1 replies)
Last modified by bluesmail on Jul-13-08 05:04 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=116&topic_id=16701

[Ian David]

4. Your link has gone dead. This one works:

Kentucky weapons depot confirms mustard gas leak
By JEFFREY McMURRAY – 15 hours ago

<snip>

Earlier this month, the depot announced it had detected a second vapor leak in less than a year of sarin, a far deadlier weapon housed in the storage igloos. While the sarin leaks were contained, including a more serious one last August, the Army is planning to use a mobile destruction unit to dispose of the sarin canisters by year's end.

Craig Williams, executive director of the Kentucky-based watchdog Chemical Weapons Working Group, was highly critical of the Army for its handling of the first sarin leak, particularly what he called a lack of immediate information released to the public. But he said Tuesday that proper procedures have been followed after subsequent leaks, including the one this week.

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gYmnRjXCHwFNYyig9mzQ-cTkfajwD927OBDG2

[jimshoes]

5. Why do we even have artillery shells

containing mustard gas? If they found this kind of shit in Iraq back in 2003 the media would have creamed their jeans for a year telling us how awful and evil Sadaam was for having it.

[Ian David]

6. Didn't Michael Moore roll a convoy of fake U.N. Weapons Inspectors up to the gates of that place?n/t

[LynnTheDem]

10. Hypocrisy.

It's the American Way.

And it's a huge part of why so much of the world despises us.

[EstimatedProphet]

11. We're in the process of destroying them all

[LynnTheDem]

9. WMD!!! WMD!!!

We found the WMD!!! INVADE!!! KILL!!! KILL!!! KILL!!!

[Phred42]

12. What the hell are WE still doing with Mustard gas?

[EstimatedProphet]

14. Destroying it

They're stockpiles left over for years.

[Phred42]

16. Sure we are. We just happend to have some we could spare for Saddam

[EstimatedProphet]

17. We are

I'm not saying we didn't ship some to Saddam - we did - but we are in the process of destroying the stockpiles.

[Phred42]

20. lol - great image - And how much are we selling off to 'get rid' of it?

[EstimatedProphet]

21. None. It's being destroyed.

[thecrow]

22. How long does it take to destroy it??

Years you say?
When's it FROM???
How many years?

[Xithras]

23. Quite a while actually.

It has to be incinerated at extremely high temperatures to prevent the released fumes from carrying toxins away from the disposal site. To ensure that it's all being incinerated, they can only destroy a small amount at a time. Since the U.S. has some huge stockpiles, the process is a slow one.

[EstimatedProphet]

26. Exactly

Also, we didn't start destroying the stockpiles actively until the mid-90's, and at that only a test run out in the Pacific. The program didn't effectively get underway until just a few years ago.

[EstimatedProphet]

13. If it was in the igloos it was safe - they're sealed

And, the government will put up the money to finish demilitarization. It's part of an international treaty.

[Phred42]

15. unhappycamper - please learn how to insert url's

Yours never seem to work

[Eugene]

18. It's not his fault. Military Times links work funny in DU.

This work-around link should get the article.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_mustardgasleak_072908/%2e

[Javaman]

19. Why does mustard gas hate america? nt

[Renew Deal]

24. McCain found the WMD's!!!

:rofl:

[montanto]

25. Oh shit!!

The WMD's WERE somewhere north, south, east or west of Tikrit.