Army incinerator starts last campaign

STOCKTON, Tooele County — The army's chemical weapons incinerator began its last campaign on Friday, the effort to destroy 6,194 tons of mustard agent.

"We have already safely eliminated 7,409 tons of chemical agent and more than 1 million munitions, reducing the risk to the community and the environment by more than 99 percent," said Ted Ryba, the site manager, in a press release.

Most of the mustard agent is stored in bulk containers. Some of them are known to contain trace amounts of mercury, which will not break down during incineration. Those containers are being identified, as are those with sludge that makes destruction by incineration more difficult.

"During this first year and a half, workers will design and install special filters for the furnace pollution abatement systems," says the release, which "will remove mercury from exhaust compounds generated when containers determined to contain elevated concentrations of mercury are processed at a later date."

Gary McCloskey, vice president and technical manager for the plant's contractor, EG&G Defense Materials, said the company was privileged to be part of America's initiatives to eliminate chemical weapons worldwide.

"We will not only be destroying the largest single agent stockpile in the United States," McCloskey said, "but will set operational precedents and providing lessons learned necessary to simplify the mustard destruction process for others."