Previous Stories on Nerve Agent Leak
June 28, 2000
Two new reports came in today on last month's accidental release of lethal nerve agent in Utah's Tooele County.
They highlight the human mistakes that led to the incident. But some say the focus should be on hardware.
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has the story.
There's not much debate about the sequence of events at the Army's incinerator that led the tiny release of nerve agent.
Rockets full of nerve agent were being chopped up and burned. A furnace feed chute jammed. The process was shut down for cleaning. Workers made a series of misjudgements and mistakes because of other minor hardware problems.
The blow-by-blow is outlined in two new reports from EG&G, the company that operates the plant.
State officials say it's a good investigation.
DENNIS DOWN/UTAH DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: " YES, I THINK THE REPORT IS VERY THOROUGH. I THINK THEY'VE ACCURATELY ASSESSED THE PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED."
But the company proposed fixes that emphasize training and procedure. State experts want more emphasis on mechanical and design issues, specifically the jammed feed chute.
DENNIS DOWNS/UTAH DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: "IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S A FATAL FLAW IN THE SYSTEM, IT'S A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. BUT THE FEWER TIMES THEY CAN GO IN THERE AND DO MAINTENANCE, THEN THE LESS LIKELIHOOD THERE IS OF HAVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN."
Critics are focusing on another point in the reports. Nerve agent had gone bad inside the old rockets that were being destroyed. Instead of a liquid, it had gelled into a gooey solid.
Critics say the plant is designed to siphon liquid agent, not solid material, from the rockets before they went to the feed chute...and they say this has been a problem for years.
JASON GROENEWOLD/FAMILIES AGAINST INCINERATOR RISK: THEY'RE TOTALLY WINGING THE SYSTEM, TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK, INSTEAD OF GOING BACK TO THE FUNDAMENTAL DESIGNS AND INSURING THAT IT WILL WORK."
State experts don't believe that contributed to the accident.
DENNIS DOWNS/UTAH DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: "WE BELIEVE THAT FURNACE IS CONSTRUCTED AND OPERATES TO PROCESS AGENT, WHETHER IT'S GELLEDE OR NOT. WE BELIEVE IT CAN DO THAT SAFELY."
The Pentagon's report on the leak is expected any day.
