U.S. begins destruction of mustard gas stockpile

WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- Thousands of tons of stockpiled World War II-era mustard gas is being destroyed at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, the Department of Defense reports.

The stockpile consists of 2,100 tons of the chemical agent, including 1,300 chemical munitions which have leaked in the past and are now stored in sealed containers.

The problem munitions, which can't be easily processed by automated equipment at the facility's Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant, will be destroyed nearby under a process called the Explosive Destruction System.

"After months of preparation, testing and scrutiny by oversight and regulatory agencies, the Pueblo team is ready to play its part in meeting our nation's commitment to the 100 percent destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile," said Conrad F. Whyne, program executive officer for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, agency responsible for the destruction.

According to DOD officials, the Explosive Destruction System developed by the Army and Sandia National Laboratories uses explosive cutting charges to access the mustard agent inside a munition. Chemicals that neutralize the gas are then added and heated to destroy the gas.

"The blast, vapor and fragments from the process are contained inside a heavy, sealed stainless steel vessel, DOD News quoted defense officials.

"Before the vessel is reopened, laboratory sampling of liquid and air from inside the vessel confirms the chemical agent's destruction."

This week's destruction operations will begin with Department of Transportation bottles that contain chemical agent drained from munitions over the years to assess the condition of the stockpile. The remainder of mustard gas will be destroyed starting late this year or early next year.