European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Debate Over disposal of chemical munitions by Ron Martz Cox news services scientists estimate one drop of nerve Gas on exposed skin can kill a person within three minutes. At the Anniston army depot just a few Miles West of Anniston a town of 30,000 in northeastern Alabama at least 500 tons of nerve Gas Are stored in dirt covered Concrete and steel bunkers. The chemical munitions stored there account for Only 7.1 percent of the country s stockpile of these weapons. But within five years Anniston could become the Eastern regional disposal Center for nearly 30 percent of the country s chemical weapons a Prospect that has some residents there concerned. We All know these munitions will have to be destroyed one Way or another said George Grosscup of Anniston a former civilian employee at the depot. The Only problem i see is that five years from now the government might Cut the Money for the disposal program and where will we be then Grosscup was one of Only five Anniston area residents who expressed some reservations to army officials in the last of a series of nationwide Public hearings about the disposal program mandated by Congress. Grosscup like the other speakers said he was not so concerned about storage and disposal of the deadly weapons at Anniston As he was about transporting them into or out of the area. I was involved with moving some of these agents before and i know of the problems we had of getting permission to move them through a lot of Small towns he said. Charles Baronian technical director for the army toxic and hazardous materials Agency in Aberdeen md., told the nearly 100 people who attended the hearing that Anniston was selected As a potential regional disposal site for several reasons one of which was the Large amount of munitions at the depot. It s also fairly Remote in comparison to some of the other facilities said Baronian. Chemical munitions Are now stored at Anniston Aberdeen proving ground Lexington Blue grass army depot in Kentucky Newport army ammunition Plant in Rock Island iii., Pine Bluff Ark Arsenal Pueblo Colo army depot Tooele Utah army depot and Umatilla Ore army depot. The munitions Range from 115mm rockets to land mines to 4.2-Inch mortar rounds to 105mm and 155mm artillery projectiles. There Are also 500-Pound and 750-Pound bombs Spray tanks and one ton containers of the chemical agents. Among those chemicals Are the nerve agents go and vex and the Blister agents Mustard and lewisite. The latter two Are less toxic than the nerve agents but can still be deadly. The most troublesome of the munitions according to col. Edward l. Wills commander of the Anniston army depot Are the 115mm rockets of which there Are 78,404 at Anniston. The 78-Inch, 57-Pound rockets designated m-55, were built from 1961 to 1965 but Are now obsolete and some of them have begun leaking. Each contains either 10 pounds of vex or 10.7 pounds of go. There Are nearly 477,000 of these rockets at six locations around the country and disposing of them is a problem because each rocket is fully assembled and ready to be fired. The m-55 presents the most danger said wills. He said the exact amount of other chemical munitions at Anniston is classified. The United states unilaterally stopped building chemical weapons in 1969. But Congress is now debating the controversial Issue of building a new generation of them. The new weapons would be binary weapons in which two relatively harmless chemicals Are mixed to form a toxic combination Only after the Shell or rocket is fired. The Law requiring the present unitary chemical munitions to be destroyed by sept. 30,1994, also requires the army to explore All possible alternatives for disposal according to Baronian. Ocean dumping burial in a Landfill and open pit burning have been rejected As too hazardous to people and the environment. Neutralization of the chemical agents has also been rejected he said because of the Cost and the Large amount of waste material that would be generated. That leaves incineration As the preferred method of disposal he said. The debate now is where to place the three choices Are on site incineration at each of the eight storage Sites. This would Cost the government $1.97 billion. This method has produced a storm of protest from residents living in Richmond ky., near the Lexington Blue grass depot who claim the proposed incinerator would be less than two Miles from an elementary school. Regional disposal Sites at Anniston and Tooele. This would Cost the government $1.86 billion and would necessitate transporting the chemicals through 16 states including Alabama Mississippi and Tennessee. Anniston would be the disposal site for 29.6 percent of the stockpile. National disposal site at Tooele. This would Cost the government $1.90 billion and require 51 percent of the country s chemical munitions to be transported through 20 states. Transportation by truck and air plane has been studied said Baronian but our preferred methodology for transport is truck transport he said would be too susceptible to terrorist attacks and accidents while air plane transport would produce similar risks. A draft environmental Impact statement for each of the alternatives will be released in july but a final decision on a method of disposal will not be made until Jan. 30,1987. Erma Bombeck most women become mothers by Accident some by Choice a few by social pressures and a couple by year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you Ever wonder How mothers of handicapped children Are chosen somehow i visualize god hovering Over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes he instructs his Angels to make note in a giant Ledger. Armstrong Beth son. Patron Saint Matthew. Forrest Marjorie daughter Patron Saint Rudledge Carrie twins Patron Saint. Give her Gerard. He s used to finally he passes a name the an Angel and smiles give her a handicapped the Angel is curious. Why this one god she s so exactly smiles god. Could i give a handicapped child to a Mother who does not know laughter that would be but has she patience asks the Angel. I Don t want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self pity and despair. Once the Shock and resentment Wear off Shell handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and Independence that is so rare and so necessary in a Mother. You see the child i m going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that s not going to be but lord i Don t think she even believes in god smiles. No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough the Angel gasps selfishness is that a virtue god nods. If she can t separate herself from the child occasionally Shell never survive. Yes Here is a woman whom i will bless with a child less than perfect. She does t realize it yet but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word she will never consider a step Ordinary. When her child says Momma for the first time she will be present at a Miracle and know id when she describes a tree or a Sunset to her Blind child she will see it As few people Ever see my creations. I will permit her to see clearly he things i see. Ignorance cruelty prejudice. And allow her to Rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her Side every minute of every Day of her life because she is doing my work As surely As she is Here by my and what about her Patron Saint asks the Angel his pen poised in midair. God smiles. A Mirror will saturday july 12. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17
