Disposing of the US chemical weapons stockpile. An approaching reality
S. A. Carnes and A. P. Watson
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn 37831-6101.
A congressional mandate to dispose of the current US stockpile of lethal
unitary weapons (Public Law 99-145, Department of Defense Authorization Act
of 1986) has international implications and is responsible for a recent
major assessment of available disposal alternatives. Eight installations in
the continental United States currently host aging stockpiles of chemical
warfare agents. The stockpiles are described, the toxicology and physical
properties of each agent are characterized, disposal options considered by
the US Army are identified, and the role of a programmatic health and
environmental assessment in the decision-making process is outlined.
Critical findings are that existing community emergency planning and
preparedness are inadequate and that communication of risk information
requires significant improvement. Measures are under way to address these
needs. However, timely disposal of the stockpile entails less of a hazard
than continued storage.
