Non-Stockpile Sites

Information on the environmental fate of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) is needed in order to facilitate destruction of aging stockpiles, cleanup of non-stockpile sites and waste areas and formulate response and recovery from possible warfare use by rogue nations or terrorists. Emphasis is placed on chemicals that were part of chemical stockpiles in several countries (Carnes and Watson, 1989 OPCW, 2005), with information on sites of manufacture and disposal as available. In this chapter, CWA degradation products will be evaluated by assessing their likelihood of formation, as well as characterizing their chemistry, toxicity and persistence. 

As discussed in Chapter 1, non-stockpile sites span a considerable range—from sites at which large numbers of nonstockpile munitions are buried or stored, to sites containing only a few chemical agent identification set (CAIS) vials or... 

There are two problematic areas—a single dump site in Chesapeake Bay and a three-site dump area in the ocean near or in Delaware Bay off the coast of New Jersey. The site in Chesapeake Bay is believed to be within 100 yards of shore and therefore eligible for FUDS consideration. The location of the Delaware Bay or ocean area may be beyond the reach of the FUDS program. However, both sites should be non-stockpile sites with treaty implications as they are in relatively shallow water. 

The EDS is being developed as part of the Army s Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Disposal Program for treatment of explosively configured recovered munitions that had been buried on sites used in the past by the Army for training. 

The issues of contention do not revolve around incineration versus non-incineration as in the United States Russia intends to employ a two-step neutralization process. Conversion to hydrolysate waste, to be done at each individual site, will be followed by a bituminization step, which incorporates the neutralized hydrolysate into an asphalt-hke matrix. A plan announced in 2001 involves the transfer of all hydrolysate wastes from the individual stockpile sites to a facility near the town of... 

In response to the FY Defense Authorization Act [Public Law (PL) 102 84, Sect. 176], review and evalnation of data were conducted to derive RfDs for non-stockpile chemical materiel (NSCM) in an effort to develop control limits for NSCM in soil and water. Lewisite (CAS No. 541-25-3) was identified as a priority chemical at non-stockpile materiel sites. 

For over 70 years the U.S. has produced and stored chemical weapons. In addition to the military arsenal, there are also "non-stockpile" materials. Non-stockpile material includes buried chemical warfare material, binary chemical weapons, recovered chemical weapons, and former production facilities. Some of these materials date back to World War I development and production efforts. Not all of these sites are still under military control. For example, in 1993, a large number of World War I chemical shells were removed from a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The burial site was discovered by construction crews while excavating the basement of a new home. In addition to non-stockpile materials, there have also been several situations where individuals have claimed to possess chemical munitions and threatened to release their contents. For these reasons, it would be beneficial to be able to rapidly identify suspect munitions. 

Cover Images courtesy of the public affairs office of the Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project, U.S. Army, Chemical Materials Agency. The munitions shown illustrate the condition in which such items are often found when they are recovered from munitions burial sites. 

As of 1996, the U.S. Army had located 168 potential CWM burial sites at 63 locations in 31 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. The universe of buried non-stockpile CWM includes several sites where large amounts of buried CWM are located—Redstone Arsenal, Alabama Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and Deseret Chemical Depot, Utah. Medium to large amounts of buried CWM may exist at several other sites. 

The EDS-1 can be driven or flown on a C-130 aircraft to a site where non-stockpile chemical materiel is discovered or recovered materiel has been stored. The EDS-2 can be driven... 

Tables A-l through A-4, reprinted from an earlier report (NRC, 2005), show inventories of non-stockpile items that have been stored at various military sites for eventual treatment and disposal. The tables are reproduced here to illustrate the variety of non-stockpile items that exist and that could be encountered during future recovery operations at non-stockpile burial sites.

Is the process scalable so that it can address small, medium, and large munition finds Yes. Three sizes appear to provide appropriate capability for small, medium, and large quantities. All are transportable to the site. Yes. There are two DAVINCH sizes available and multiple units can be deployed. Large size (70 tons) of smaller DAVINCH (DV45) may make it impractical for small quantity finds, however. Yes. Three detonation chamber sizes are available and several units can be used together to meet throughput requirements. The EDS seems appropriate for small or medium caches. At Pine Bluff Non-Stockpile Facility, several EDSs could have destroyed ca. 1,000 munitions in an acceptable time period. 

Non-stockpile chemical material (e.g., wastes from past CW agent disposal efforts, unserviceable munitions, contaminated containers, and found rounds that have been recently located after having been historically buried) are also undergoing disposal. Furthermore, any soil or groundwater that may be contaminated by potentially toxic agent re.sidues at the sites where non-stockpile material has been found are remediated and subjected to the protocoLs of a formal cleanup program (Opresko ct al 1998, 2001 Bakshi etai, 2000). 

The non-stockpile inventory includes numerous containers of chemical agents of various types and sizes that have accumulated over the years. In general, these are stored at stockpile sites. There are many treatment options available for these bulk containers the most obvious is to use the stockpile chemical disposal facilities (CDFs), although modifications may be required and permit modifications may be difficult to obtain. 

Recommendation While recognizing that there are significant regulatory and public acceptability issues to resolve, the committee recommends that non-stockpile chemical materiel in bulk containers located at stockpile sites and suitable for destruction in chemical stockpile disposal facilities be destroyed in those facilities (Recommendation 3-1). 

The entire non-stockpile inventory of binary CWM components is stored in canisters and drnms at Pine Bluff Arsenal, a stockpile site. Options for treatment include destruction in the Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility, direct destruction in a plasma arc system, or chemical neutralization followed by oxidative posttreatment of the neutralents. The high concentration of fluorine in the binary component DF raises concerns about corrosion in some treatment systems. 

Recommendation The non-stockpile program shonld continue to monitor the Belgian tests of the DBC. If the results are encouraging and it appears that the DBC can be permitted in the United States, it should be considered for nse at sites where prompt disposal of large numbers of munitions is required (Recommendation 2-9). 

As discussed in Chapter 4, many different Army organizations are involved in making decisions about sites where non-stockpile chemical materiel is stored or recovered. Often, the site is a current military base or depot, where the primary decision maker is the base or depot commander. The role of the NSCMP is to develop treatment technology options and offer treatment services to decision makers at these sites. 

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