STOCKTON, Tooele County — A one-ton container of deadly VX nerve agent leaked inside a storage structure at Deseret Chemical Depot, the location of the Army's stockpile of chemical weapons and the incinerator that is destroying them.
Although leaks of GB nerve agent are common, with dozens of incidents reported every year, leaks involving the more toxic VX agent are less frequent. Harold Oliver, civilian assistant to the depot commander, said this is the seventh one-ton container of VX to leak.
In the past, depot workers discovered 71 VX land mines that leaked, plus 12 155mm projectiles.
Workers discovered on Tuesday the VX container had leaked about two tablespoons of agent. A system creating lower air pressure was in effect inside the storage structure, which apparently ensured that none of the agent escaped into the atmosphere outside.
A problem with the container's plug had allowed the leak. "Emergency response personnel tightened and cleaned the leaking plug," says a press release from the depot. "The container will continue to be monitored for further leakage."
Workers, surrounding communities and the environment were in no danger, the report said.
The incinerator is destroying GB nerve agent, not VX. When VX leakers are discovered, the dangerous residue is placed in barrels and stored, Oliver added.
"It will be processed at a later time . . . hopefully in the plant."
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