The Disposition of the Current Stockpile of Chemical Munitions and Agents

• Author: by Major Lawrence E Rouse
• Pages: 02

1. INTRODUCTION

   Today the United States faces the difficult and necessary task of disposing of a broad array of chemical agents and weapons that were developed for military purposes over a period of more than half a century. The effort required to successfully complete this task without causing harm to individuals or the enwronment is extensive. The coat will be measured m billions of dollars and the time involved will be measured m years. A myriad of legal and regulatory requirement8 administered by a variety of governmental agencies and entities will need to be met. The accomplishment of this mission is a major challenge facing the United States Army

   11. THE US. CHEMICAL STOCKPILE

   The United States maintains a large stockpile of chemical munitions and agents m several locations within this country and overseas The stockpile contains agents which are far more lethal than the chemical released in Bhopal, Inha, in 1984 causing about 2,000 deaths.' Due to age, uncertain toxicity, and design unsmtabllity, much ofthis current stockpile LS a military liability rather than an asset.2 The United States chemical stockpile provides only a marginal deterent capability at the present time! The U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency IUSATHAMA) repons that the retaliatory eapa-bility of the current stockpile is 10% useful, 18% of limited use, 11%

   . .

   of no use and 61% not in useful form? The stockpile LS monitored and inspected at regular intervals and the significant majority IS stared in covered igloos During the extensive storage of this material there have been no serious incidents or accidents The annual storage costs for the maintenance and security of the current chemical stockpile amount to approximately $63.8 million

   The agents maintained in this stockpile all are at least 20 years old, because there has been no manufacturing ofthese chemicals since 1968, and some are more than 40 years old Many are obsolete or unservmable, and there have been incidents of leakage from Some of the stored munitions By tonnage of agent, the stockpile 1s dis-tributed as follows: Tooele Army Depot, Utah (TEADl-42.3%; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas (PBA)-12%; Umatilla Depot Activity. Or. egan (UMDA)-ll.G%, Pueblo Depot Activity, Colorado [PUDAJ-9.9% Anniston Amy Depot, Alabama (ANAD)--7.1%; outside the Continental United States (Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean and within the Federal Republic of Germany)-6.6%, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (APG)-E%,; Newport Army Ammunition Plant, Indiana (NAAPj-3 6%; Lexmgon-Blue Grass Army Depot. Ken-tucky (LBAD)-l 64.9

   The munitions in the stockpile conmat of a broad range of rockets, bombs, mines and projectiles. These include 4 2 inch mortar projectiles containing mustard agent, 105 millimeter artillery projectiles containing mustard and nerve agent GB, 155 millimeter artillery projectiles containing mustard and nerve agents GB and VX, 8 inch artillery projectiles containing nerve agents GB and VX, the M23 land mine containing nerve agent VX, M55 116 millimeter rockets containing nerve agents GB, and VX, bombs of 500, 600 and 780pounds containing nerve agent GB, and aerial sprag tanks containing

   Many of these munitions are obsolete or of no military utility The M55 rocket presents the most significant problem It was developed in the 1950's, produced between 1961 and 1965, and declared obsolete

   nerve agent VX 10

   'US Army Tam and Hazardous Matenale Agenig, Chemical Stockpile Disporal

   iNat~anal

   Reieareh Cauncd Dmpoial of Chemical Munmona and Agents A Repan Old at 30

   Program. General Information 1 119861 IhereinaRer CSDP General Informationi 20 '19841

   19881 DISPOSAL OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS

   in 1981." The present stockpile includes 369,000 rockets with nerve agent GB and 109,000 rockets with nerve agent VX." The National Academy of Sciences recommended in 1984 that the first priority be given to the disposal of this munition The spray tanks are designed for the F-4 and older aircraft which are bang phased out, and they can only be used by flying a slow, straight coum over the target at low level, tactics which make battlefield survival unlikely." The projectiles for the 4.2 inch mortar, 105 millimeter artillery, 155 milli. meter artillery and 8 inch artillery *re of limited utility due to their short range and the phasing out of much of the artillery capable of delivering the mortar and 105 millimeter projectiles With the ex-ception of M55 rockets, there have been few leaks from munitions and containers.'6 Leakage from artillery rounds has been only at a rate of approximately six projectiles per 100,000 in the st~ckpile.'~ The frequency of leakage has not substantially increased In recent years.18

   1. CHEMICAL AGENTS IN THE STOCKPILE

      The U.S. chemical stockpile contains two basic types of chemical agents, nerve and mustard. It contains a nonlethal hallucinogenic known as BZ, which 1s being disposed of under a separate program not discussed in this paper.

      The nerve agents in the USstockpile are known as GA (Tabun),

      GB (Sarin), and VX. All directly affect the nervous System and are highly toxic in liquid and vapor forms. They can be absorbed through the skin or Inhaled." The physical effects on those exposed to sufficient levels of these agents include pinpoint pupils, increased salivation, abnormal tearing of the eyes, involuntary urination and dim-rhea, convulsions, and respiratory collapse resulting in death.*'

      There are four mustard agents in the U.S chemical stockpile. These are known 88 H, HD, HT and L (Lewisite). They are all persistent agents whose liquid and vapor came inflammation They are only

      "US Amy Material System8 Analysis Activity, Independent Evaluation Assessment of Raeket. 115 mm Chemical Agent (GB or VX), M55, 1U985) [here.inafter M5b Roeket Study1

      "Id at 46

      "National Research Couneil. supm note 5. at 62 "Cornmla8mn, supm note 1 at 23'nld at 21-22"Salmnal Research Council. aupm note 5, at 41Ls6aflonal Researeh Cauncd, suppa note 5 at 41"Katlonal Research Council 8upm note 5. at 152-53

      "Commissian, mpm note 1. at 20

      WSDP, General Infomatlo". mpra note 4. at 4s

      moderately volatile. Lewisite causes harsher and more immediate damage than the H agents. All, but especially Lewisite, may cause tempoiary OT permanent blindness and skin burns

      It 1s important to consider that all the available data on the health effects of chemical agents 18 uncertain It 18 not feasible to test the lethality of these agents on various human beings and develop differing human susceptibilities that may exist based on age, preexisting disease, weight, inhalation rates, or other facton?' Ad&tmnally, these agents are twenty to forty years old, have been stared in various containers under differing conditions, and may have developed greater or lesser toxicity during the storage period. At present it appears that the chronic effects of exposure to H, HD, HT or L may be a predisposition to cancer, while there appears to be no likely chronic effects from amall exposures to GA, GB OT VX 23 It also appears that mustard probably has very little chronic toxicity at low dose?'

   2. THE EXCEPTIONAL CONCERNS INVOLVED WITH THE MS5 ROCKET

      As noted earlier, the M55 rockets present special disposal problems. They are the most dangerous items in the stockpile. They contain GB or VX, and they have fuzes, bursterchargers, and propellants in place. These rockets also are the source of the greatest number of leaking

      In 1985, the Army reviewed the rocket stocks and developed significant data concerning their current condition s6 The VX

      filled rackets had not developed the leaking problems that occurred in the GB filled rackets 27 While GB, in general, reacts with the aluminum warhead of the racket and corrades the metal, the rate this occurs vanes with the type of GB in the rocket. Four type8 of GB were placed in M55 rockets. These are PRO (preroundaut). RO.RS (Roundout-Restabiliied),

      PRO-RS (Preroundout-Restabillzed)and RDRS (RedistiIled.RestabiIlzed). PRO GB is in approximately 330,000 rockets, which the study found developed 203 leakers, or

      . .

      19661 DISPOSAL OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS

      0 06% RO-RS GB LS in 10,000 rockets, which developed 476 leakers, or 4.84 PRO-RS GB 18

      in 16,000 rockets, which developed 96 leakers, or 0.64'0 RD-RS GB 1s in 14,000 rockets, which developed 71 leakers, or 0.65'0. These different types of GB agent are distributed among the different storage locations so not all the most serious leakers are in a single place.28

      The leakage that OCCUIS in these rockets may be internal or exter.

      nal. External leakage normally is discovered by examination at the storage site, while internal leakage can only be discovered by disassembly. Internal leakage was estimated at 1-3% of the stockpile, but the limited sampling conducted makes this figure uncertain. Internal leakage can be a SeTiou safety hazaard, because the potential far the production of metal salts that can react with the explosive or energetic components increases as the GB eontinnes to react with the metals. The tests md~cated, however, that it was not likely that enough salts were produced to cause such a reaction. A further danger exists if the GB migrates into the fuze cavity: this could weaken the fuze spring's metal, causing the fuze to arm dunng normal handling. Oncethe fuze 1s armed, a sufficient impact could caue detonation. While the likelihood of such an event 1s very small, the degradation process is time dependentZ8

      The rocket containers do not contain the chemical agents m the event of leakage When a leaking rocket is discovered it 1s sealed m a heavy steel container until de~troyed.~'

      Because the planned disposition program considers movement of the rockets to locations away from mme of their current storage sites, planners must consider the rockets' susceptibility to developing leaks dunng handling The 1985 study estimated that as many 8s 1.6'0 of the rockets could develop external leaks due to handling. Three of the 349 handled...