VX byproduct may be taken to New Jersey

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New Jersey
TRIBUNE-STAR
VX byproduct may be taken to New Jersey
By Patricia L. Pastore/
December 20, 2003

The byproduct of VX neutralization may be headed to New Jersey,
according to information obtained by the Tribune-Star on Friday.

DuPont Chambers Works waste water treatment plant in Deepwater, N.J., is
the choice of Parsons Technology to treat and dispose of VX hydrolysate,
the byproduct of VX neutralization, according to an environmental impact
statement released by the Army on Friday.

The statement proposes neutralization of the entire stockpile of VX at
the Newport Chemical Depot, with disposal of the hydrolysate at the New
Jersey plant, which is permitted to treat and dispose of such liquid,
the document states.

DuPont is the largest commercial hazardous waste treatment plant in the
United States, said DuPont spokeswoman Michele Reardon.

Parsons Technologies Inc. is the contractor running the Newport Chemical
Agent Disposal Facility for the Army.

"We have a request from Parsons to proceed with the VX hydrolysate
off-site process," said Jim Mars, government administrative contracting
officer for the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. "The Army is
not yet ready to issue a contract because it is still reviewing the
terms and conditions of the agreement as presented by Parsons, and also
[is] waiting for a 30-day comment period for the legal notice published
in New Jersey."

The legal notice, published Friday in "Today's Sunbeam," a Salem, N.J.,
newspaper, read, " ... this notice is to inform the public that the Army
has completed its review of the health and environmental issues
presented by the transportation of liquid effluent [hydrolysate] from
the treatment of chemical agents at Newport, Indiana. The DuPont
Chambers Works Plant in Deepwater, N.J., is being considered for
possible treatment and disposal of this waste. The Army has determined
that this transportation will have no significant impact on human health
or the environment. Comments may be submitted to the Newport Chemical
Stockpile Outreach ... ."

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2003/12/22/news/news08.txt

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