Published: June 12, 2008 08:24 am

Enhanced nerve gas monitoring, warning sought

Bill Robinson
Register News Writer

In 2005, the National Research Council [NRC] described the nerve agent monitors now in use at the Blue Grass Army Depot Chemical Activity as “adequate” to protect workers, the public and the environment.

The independent Chemical Weapons Working Group thinks the Army’s Chemical Material’s Agency and the NRC should resume consultations to determine if newly developed technology could detect agent concentrations at lower levels or sound alerts more quickly.

On Tuesday, activist Craig Williams, on behalf of CWWG, proposed that the Chemical Destruction Citizen Advisory Board create a panel to facilitate a new NRC-Army investigation of the issue.

Williams also co-chairs the CDCAB.

Enhanced monitoring and warning should be studied, because many more workers will be in close proximity to chemical weapons when agent destruction begins in a few years, Williams said.

Movement of the aging weapons to the destruction plan also will increase the risk of leaks or accidents.

Based on developments in the homeland security industry, Williams said, CWWG members and “people in the scientific community believe there is room for improvement” of monitoring and warning systems at the depot.

Detection/warning systems usually represent a compromise, he said.

“You can detect small amounts of agent with a delayed warning. Or, you can detect large amounts with a rapid alert.”

Lt. Col. Tom Closs, who commands the depot’s chemical activity, said monitoring capabilities have increased in the past three years as additional monitors were purchased from an “earmarked” appropriation secured by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning.

CDCAB member Carl Richards, director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency, said he had spoken with many vendors of emerging homeland security technology.

“They all say their systems are better than anything else on the market,” he said. “The prices range from a few million dollars to as many millions as you have.”

Buyers of some expensive new systems have found them unreliable or impractical, Richards said.

“Some people now have $20-million equipment sitting on the shelf unused,” he said.

CDCAB operates by consensus, requiring near unanimity, and all members will be notified of CWWG’s proposal by e-mail. A new working group will not be named without consensus, said Robert Miller, who presided as Williams offer the proposal.

Construction of chemical destruction plant buildings continues, even as some unresolved design issues remain, said Jim Fritsche, site project manager for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative.

The blast portion of a detonation chamber building is about 25 percent complete.

A study of whether to use interlinked or coupled steel for the detonation chamber continues, as does study off-site disposal of chemical destruction byproducts, he said.

Destruction plant system design is about 83 percent complete, said Mark Seely, project manager for Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, contractor for building and operating the destruction plant.

An assessment of accelerated destruction of the chemical weapons, completion by 2017 instead of 2023, will be delivered to Congress on June 30, Fritsche said.

Local employment for the project, including 126 construction workers, now exceeds 400. Purchases from local businesses total nearly $27.5 million, about half of the projected total, Seely said.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 267.