Depot is destroying VX-filled spray tanks

Published: Friday, July 23, 2004 9:12 p.m. MDT
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DESERET CHEMICAL DEPOT — Workers at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility Friday began chemical weapons destruction targeting a new munitions type, VX nerve agent-filled spray tanks.

Spray tanks are bulk-agent containers designed to distribute chemicals from aircraft onto battlefields. However, the United States has never used such weapons in combat.

Each spray tank contains 180 gallons or 1,356 pounds of VX nerve agent. There are more than 800 VX spray tanks in storage at Deseret Chemical Depot.

A demonstration disposal test is scheduled for early to mid-August.

Operations were suspended last week at one of the furnaces when a compound similar to VX agent was detected in the main furnace exhaust stack. That furnace remains off line until engineers pinpoint the problem. A second furnace is being used to process VX agent.

The last remaining VX munitions scheduled for destruction at Deseret Chemical Depot are land mines.

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