Overview of the Concerns over Chemical Weapons Incineration at the Army Depot in Umatilla, Oregon

Oregon Toxics Alliance Position on Chemical Weapons Incineration

We believe that there is no clearer case of both human and environmental threat than with the elimination of chemical weapons stored at the Umatilla Army Depot along the Columbia River in Eastern Oregon.Oregon Toxics Alliance, along with a large coalition of concerned individuals, environmental and social action organizations, is working to stop the incineration of millions of pounds of chemical weapons in Eastern Oregon. While OTA opposes incineration, we do support disposing of the chemical weapons using methods that are safer for the surrounding population and Oregon’s environment.

In response to citizen's concerns, a federal program was established in 1996 to identify and assess various alternative chemical weapons disposal technologies. Congress and Presidnet Clinton created the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) program. The Assessment group met twelve times and explored a number of alternative technologies that could be used in place of incineration.

Threats associated with incineration are considerable. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control have recently announced, based on new scientific studies, that, when disposed by incineration, the toxicity and lethality of the nerve agents GB and VX is considerably higher than previously thought.

Oregon Toxics Alliance supports the legal efforts now underway to urge the U.S. Army and the State of Oregon to use the best available technology to dispose of millions of pounds of lethal nerve gas, blister agents, and other munitions.