Leaking Chemical Agent Rocket Overpacked at Depot

By Richard SloanNovember 17, 2008

BLUE GRASS ARMY DEPOT, Ky. - The M55 rocket reported leaking GB (Sarin) agent vapor within its shipping and firing tube yesterday has been overpacked into a leak proof stainless steel container.

The overpack operation was successfully carried out this morning by Blue Grass Chemical Activity toxic chemical workers. The igloo containing the rocket is undergoing continuous filtration and being monitored daily. This will continue for at least three days to ensure that no agent vapor, if present, can escape to the outside atmosphere. After three days of negative reading for agent in the igloo, the overpacked rocket will be moved to a separate igloo which contains only overpacked GB munitions. That igloo is monitored each workday and BGCA physical scientists have never detected any agent leaking from an overpacked munition.

This event was unintentionally overstated in the initial news release headline yesterday as an accident. There was no accident. Chemical Activity workers discovered the leaking rocket during routine monitoring actions in the chemical weapons stockpile. This leaking rocket is the third leaking munition discovered in 2008, which falls within the normal range of leaking munitions for the stockpile.

Although this leak posed no danger or risk to the citizens of Madison County, the county Emergency Management and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Emergency Management Agencies were notified of the leak.