Chemical weapons stockpiled at the Blue Grass Army Depot went two years without being monitored, according to a report released Monday by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
The U.S. Army’s inspector general’s agency investigated several claims made by Donald VanWinkle, a former depot whistle blower, who claimed he was retaliated against when he voiced concerns about how the weapon storage igloos were being monitored.
The report covered September 2003 through August 2005 and was obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by PEER.
Blue Grass Chemical Activity (BGCA) spokesman Dick Sloan said Monday he had not seen the report and had no immediate comment. However, the BGCA will be issuing a statement later today, Sloan said.
“We have received a copy of the inspector general’s report and will go over it carefully to see if there’s anything additional we can do to provide enhanced safety for the community and its citizens,” Sloan said.
The BGCA is the entity in charge of the safe storage, monitoring and demolition of chemical weapons being stored at the depot.
Some chemical weapons in storage are filled with GB agent and others are filled with VX agent. Both are deadly, but VX agent cannot be seen, whereas GB turns into a gas and spreads throughout the atmosphere.
Because VX is invisible “ ... Blue Grass (Army Depot) had no means ... to determine whether the odorless, colorless nerve gas was seeping from the rockets in which the agent is stored,” according to a statement released Monday by PEER spokesperson Kirsten Stade.
“The concern that the miniature chemical agent monitoring system sampling configuration at (the depot) for VX was incorrect is founded for the period of September 2003 through August 2005,” the inspector general report states.
If the nerve agent leaked into the atmosphere during this time, there still would be no great environmental impact, according to Craig Williams, director of the Berea-based Chemical Weapons Working Group.
The group serves as a watchdog to make sure the chemical weapons are stored and destroyed in a way that is environmentally friendly.
“Because of the type of agent involved in this issue, I think that any environmental concerns are almost zero because VX is not volitive and does not move through the environment like GB does,” Williams said. “In this case, I think they weren’t using the equipment right, but I don’t think it had any negative effect.”
The inspector general’s office could not find evidence to support several other claims made by VanWinkle that included: igloo air-monitoring reports were incorrect, depot workers were subjected to the lethal nerve agent, maintenance of air monitoring equipment used at the depot was deficient and the nerve agent conversion pads had not been changed out as required, resulting in erroneous readings.
The Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KDEP), however, confirmed many of VanWinkle’s other disclosures.
The KDEP issued citations to the BGCA in 2007 for: not testing spills from rockets containing agent that are stored inside the igloos, improper storage practices which crush the shells of rockets and cause leaks, and failing to ensure employees are properly trained to prevent release of chemical warfare agents.
Unlike the inspector general, the state agency acknowledged that there is no way of knowing whether there were leaks during the period that the monitors were inoperative, according to PEER’s report.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@ richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
Local News
Army: Agent monitoring system was inoperative
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Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
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As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
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A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
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Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. -
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The Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center will be hosting two, one-day volunteer training workshops for those interested in helping others with special needs.
The volunteer orientation days will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but only one day of training is required, according to Mark Martin who co-owns Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center (AFTEC) with his wife Cheryl.
The all-volunteer organization, which is based in Jackson County, uses horses to help humans deal with physical and emotional challenges. -
Man accused of holding samurai sword to girlfriend’s throat
A Madison grand jury will hear the case of a man accused of threatening to cut his girlfriend’s head off, and attacking her father with a samurai sword.
Russell M. Masters, 42, of Richmond, is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, which is a Class D felony, and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence with minor injury) and resisting arrest, which both are Class A misdemeanors. Masters could receive one to five years in prison on each wanton endangerment charge, and the misdemeanors both carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail. -
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Richmond police have made an arrest in connection with property stolen from two homes last fall.
A woman reported to police Monday that she had discovered several items that were missing from her home on South Killarney Drive and her grandmother’s home on Raintree Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock. The items were a set of gold hoop earrings, a white Sony Vaio laptop, a yellow gold heart pendant, a gold tennis bracelet and a ladies’ wedding band with a diamond setting.
The complainant said the belongings had gone missing sometime between August and October. -
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Public defender Meena Mohanty questioned Richmond police officer Nicholas Duvall during a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Madison District Court. Her client, Jeffrey W. Nester, 46, of Fourth Street, was arrested in connection with a Jan. 23 copper theft. He is charged with second-degree criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, possession of burglary tools and failure to notify address change to the Department of Transportation. These charges are all misdemeanors that, at most, carry a sentence of one year in prison. -
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Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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Couple recovering from injuries suffered in weekend house fire
A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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